We know bees, you can too!
Certified Beekeeper Exam
The University of Georgia Master Beekeeper Program gives participants the opportunity to increase their knowledge of all things dealing with bees and beekeeping. The Certified Beekeeper level is the first step of a four-step program.
The Certified Beekeeper exam is open to beekeepers who have been keeping bees for at least one year. The material for the test is First Lessons in Beekeeping by Keith Delaplane. The exam is comprised of a written test and a practical test.
- Testing will take place on Saturday, May 6, 2023. The rain date is May 13.
- The cost is $75 per person.
- Location: Academe of the Oaks 146 New St Decatur, GA 30030
In April, our speaker is Dr. Marla Spivak, an American entomologist, and Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota specializing in apiculture and social insects.
During mentor time, we will be discussing “feeders and syrup / taking notes” followed by an open question and answer session. . If you have the most basic questions about beekeeping, then this is the place to ask those questions in a friendly and supportive environment.
If you see honey bee swarm – a ball of bees in a tree or bush – that means they are seeking a new home. Help us find a good home for these bees – you don’t want them nesting in your house. We will send a local member out to retrieve the colony for a better chance at survival. Please call Dave Marshall at 812-369-0401 right away before the swarm flies off to its new home. Before you call, please have the following information: If you are not viewing this from a smartphone, call 812-369-0401.
MABA Calendar
Sign up at: https://www.memberplanet.com/events/mababc/4123blueheronhiveinspectionwithginagallucci_1
Sign up at: https://www.memberplanet.com/events/mababc/4823ruckerparkhiveinspectionwithedhoehn_1
Sign up at: https://www.memberplanet.com/events/mababc/412023lostcornerinspectionwithjuliamahood_1
Sign up at: https://www.memberplanet.com/events/mababc/04152022eastatlantatapestrygardenshiveinspectionwithsteveesau_1
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Meetings are currently being held IN PERSON and virtually with Zoom until we make an announcement otherwise.
Meetings are held at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Heritage Hall on the 3rd Tuesday of each month.
Meetings begin at 7:00 pm and conclude by 9:00 pm. Marla Spivak – Honey Bee Social Immunity and Breeding for Resistance to Varroa
Come early for informal mentoring time from 6:30-7:00 feeders and syrup/taking notes
Sign up at: https://www.memberplanet.com/events/mababc/42223blueheronhiveinspectionwithginagallucci_2
Sign up at: https://www.memberplanet.com/events/mababc/4222023lostcornerinspectionwithjuliamahood_1
Sign up at: https://www.memberplanet.com/events/mababc/42923ruckerparkhiveinspectionwithedhoehn_1
Sign up at: https://www.memberplanet.com/events/mababc/04302023chastainparkhiveinspectionwithjayparsons_1
If you are a brand new beekeeper, sign up for a Hive Inspection. I cannot stress how vital this is for your beekeeping education. It is your opportunity to go into a hive with an experienced MABA beekeeper and get your questions answered. Please click the link to choose a date and sign up. This service is free for members.
- To view the MABA Bee Neighbor List, the link is in the monthly newsletter for members.
- Sign up to be included on the MABA Bee Neighbor List.
- Volunteer to help build swarm traps for the MABA STC. Volunteers are first-in-line to buy a MABA swarm trap!
- Join the Discord server where we talk about the Swarm Trap Cluster.
- Sign up for the the swarm trap waiting list.
Membership not Required
Meetings are held at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Heritage Hall on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. The Annual Picnic and Honey Contest held in September may be scheduled for a different day than the regular meeting day. Please see the Calendar for more details about scheduled events.
Meetings usually include interesting speakers and discussions on a variety of topics related to beekeeping, such as hive management, honey bee problems, honey, beeswax, and other hive products.
Meetings begin at 7:00 pm and conclude by 9:00 pm.
Come early for informal mentoring time from 6:30-7:00
Everyone interested in honey bees is welcome!
Carpenter bees and bumble bees are similar and size and sometimes in coloring. The carpenter bee is not as fuzzy as the bumble and has only a small amount of hair on its middle abdomen. Some carpenter bee species are all black while some have similar yellow markings to the bumble bee but only on their head. The lower abdomen has little to no hair and appears black and shiny which is why they are occasionally referred to as black bees. The carpenter bee also has hairier back legs than the bumble bee which, like honey bees, has special structures called pollen baskets to carry pollen back to its nest.
Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association is a club for honey bee keepers. There’s really no such thing as “keeping” or “moving” carpenter bees, but here is some basic information if you’re concerned about carpenter bees in your home.
Freshly stained/painted wood doesn’t attract carpenter bees. There’s a brief page on them in this booklet published by the USDA that refers to this:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5306468.pdf —scroll down to page 10
People report diminished carpenter bee activity on freshly sealed or painted wood.
A great natural solution is to nail up (in an unobtrusive place) a 2 x 4 section of untreated lumber- it can be under your deck or anywhere that isn’t going to be an eyesore. The carpenter bees will eat that up and leave your house alone. If it’s a large log house or deck, nail up several.
You can also try spraying peppermint oil solution on the spots where the bees are drilling in your wood and that will deter them in a less toxic way. (If you can reach their holes, put toothpaste in them.) You may have to keep applying it in the springtime, but after breeding season activity will fall off.
Carpenter bees are great pollinators and are not aggressive to humans and pets. We encourage you to try some peppermint spray, or else seal/paint the wood, or, if the integrity of the structure isn’t at risk, just leave them bee. These are very gentle bees and not likely to sting anyone. The pesticides that an exterminator uses for carpenter bees does kill honey bees.
