We know bees, you can too!

Metro Atlanta Beekeepers’ Association is an all volunteer, non-profit organization that supports an active beekeeping community and promotes the art and science of bees and beekeeping to the public through education, events and services.
MABA’s December Holiday Party will be held at 6:30 PM on December 12th.
RSVP by 12/8 at:
https://www.memberplanet.com/s/mababc/maba2023holidaypartyrsvp

Manuel’s Tavern
602 N Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30307

Parking at Manuel’s Tavern is very limited! Please consider ride-sharing if you plan to attend.
  • Please bring a small, inexpensive bee-themed gift to share with another MABA member as part of our fun present exchange.
  • MABA will provide some light snacks for you to enjoy
  • Purchase your own drinks, or additional dinner
  • Please bring your holiday cheer as we close out the 2023 beekeeping season and look forward to a new year.

MABA One Day Beekeeping Course – 27 Jan 2024

MABA-2024-Short-Course-Nextdoor-Art

An Introduction to Honey Bees and Beekeeping
Come to the MABA One Day Beekeeping Course to learn the fundamentals of beekeeping from our panel of experts. We welcome anyone who is interested in learning about honey bees, even if a hive is not in your immediate future.

Setting up new hives must be done in the spring, generally from March to May. This course is offered in January to give potential beekeepers time to order bees and equipment and prepare a site for hives. Since the course takes place in January, our classroom course will not involve live bees. During the spring and summer months, hands-on experience with live bees will be available to all Beekeeping Course students through the MABA Hive Inspection program. In the MABA Hive Inspections, small groups go through a beehive with an experienced beekeeper in one of several MABA hive locations in the Atlanta area.

Register Now!!:  https://mp.gg/54ytf

THIS FORM WILL CLOSE ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, OR EARLIER IF THE EVENT SELLS OUT.

Where: Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, GA 30305
 
When: Saturday, January 28, 2024
Registration and Continental Breakfast begins at 8:40. Course ends at 4:30 PM
 
Fee:  $110 per person

More details available on the Registration form

MABA Calendar

Dec
12
Tue
MABA Holiday Celebration (Manuel’s Tavern)
Dec 12 @ 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

MABA’s December Holiday Party will be held at 6:30 PM on December 12th.
RSVP by 12/8 at:
https://www.memberplanet.com/s/mababc/maba2023holidaypartyrsvp

Manuel’s Tavern
602 N Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30307

Parking at Manuel’s Tavern is very limited! Please consider ride-sharing if you plan to attend.

  • Please bring a small, inexpensive bee-themed gift to share with another MABA member as part of our fun present exchange.
  • MABA will provide some light snacks for you to enjoy
  • Purchase your own drinks, or additional dinner
  • Please bring your holiday cheer as we close out the 2023 beekeeping season and look forward to a new year.
Jan
8
Mon
Monthly Meeting – Peter Helfrich – Native Bees 101 for Beekeepers (6:30 mentoring)
Jan 8 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Mentoring Topic: Preparing for the Spring Beekeeping Season
Speaker: Peter Helfrich – Native Bees 101 for Beekeepers

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 2nd Monday of each month.

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

Feb
12
Mon
Monthly Meeting – Jerry Wallace – A Year in the Apiary (6:30 mentoring)
Feb 12 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Mentoring Topic: Spring Management
Speaker: Jerry Wallace – A Year in the Apiary

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 2nd Monday of each month.

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

Mar
11
Mon
Monthly Meeting – Olivia Menard – How Did They Figure That Out? (6:30 mentoring)
Mar 11 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Mentoring Topic: Swarm Control / Swarm Catching
Speaker: Olivia Menard – How Did They Figure That Out? (Historical Beekeeping Discoveries)

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 2nd Monday of each month.

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

Apr
8
Mon
Monthly Meeting – Georgia Zumwalt – Bee Photography (6:30 mentoring)
Apr 8 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Mentoring Topic: Safety in the Bee Yard
Speaker: Georgia Zumwalt – Bee Photography


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 2nd Monday of each month.

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

May
13
Mon
Monthly Meeting – TBD (6:30 mentoring)
May 13 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Mentoring Topic: Honey Harvesting
Speaker:  TBD

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 2nd Monday of each month.

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

Jun
10
Mon
Monthly Meeting – TBD (6:30 mentoring)
Jun 10 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Mentoring Topic: Summer Management
Speaker:  TBD

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 2nd Monday of each month.

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

Jul
8
Mon
Monthly Meeting – Linda Tillman/Gail Dean – Honey Show Preparations (6:30 mentoring)
Jul 8 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Mentoring Topic: Varroa Monitoring & Control
Speaker:  Linda Tillman/Gail Dean – Honey Show Preparations

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 2nd Monday of each month.

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

Aug
12
Mon
Monthly Meeting – TBD (6:30 mentoring)
Aug 12 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Mentoring Topic: Pests
Speaker:  TBD
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 2nd Monday of each month.

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

Sep
15
Sun
MABA Picnic/Honey Show (Galloway School) – Tentative
Sep 15 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

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 2nd Monday of each month.

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

Other announcements:

MABA has been meeting on the third Tuesday of the month for a long time. The church has been gracious to offer us this time slot, and the meeting space in the church has come under much higher demand. As such, MABA agreed with the church to move our meeting to a new night.Starting in 2024, MABA will meet on the Second Monday of the month.Our first meeting in 2024 will be Monday, January 8.

We know this time will not work for all of our members, and we appreciate your understanding. Finding a meeting space for a club of our size is very difficult, and we are grateful to keep the space we have.Looking for a queen, bees, honey? See what members have on offer: https://metroatlantabeekeepers.org/buy-local-honey/


 

If you would like to reach out to a MABA member for help, then a great resource is the MABA Bee Neighbor List. This is a live document that we update with members’ information, including MABA members who are eager to help other beekeepers in need.

  • 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.

Our neighbors are putting up signs about the mosquito spraying that companies do that kill our honey bees along with butterflies, luna moths, fireflies, and native bees.

 

The MABA 2024 Short Course in Beekeeping is on January 27, 2024.Please share this form with anyone you know, and on social media (Facebook, Nextdoor, et cetera) if they are interested in beekeeping. This event is our club’s biggest fundraiser for the year.


Jimmy Gatt
MABA President

Membership not Required

Meetings are held at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Heritage Hall on the 2nd Monday of each month (starting in 2024). 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!

PRUMC Map

Peachtree Road United Methodist Church
3180 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30305

Myriams-Fotos @ Pixabay, bumble bee covered in pollen on pink dahlia flower

You don’t need to keep bees to help bees

Seek Knowledge

Get a field guide to local insects and use it on hikes. It is amazing how a little knowledge and familiarity can dispel a large amount of fear and repulsion.

Share Knowledge

Let your friends know that these vegetarian honey bees are not out to get them. Rather, we depend on them for our standard of living.

Walk on the Wild Side

Allow a little wildness to creep back into your yard and garden. Dandelions and clover may look like weeds to you but to bees they are dinner.

Feed the Bees

Plant a bee friendly garden. Use native wildflowers instead of hybrids. Avoid nursery plants grown with systemic pesticides – grow from seeds if you can. Install the BeeSmart application on your phone to help you select the right plants.

Protect Our Native Ecosystem

Avoid invasive and hybridized landscaping plants. Invasive plants force out native plants and reduce both quality bee forage and biodiversity. Hybridized plants don’t deliver the food that bees and pollinators need.

For more information, click here and click here.

Avoid Pesticides

Pesticides kill bugs. Bad bugs and good bugs. Bees are bugs. Got it? Good.

Learn more about pesticides here.

Mud is Good

Leave some bare patches of soil for ground dwelling bees. 70% of native bees are ground dwelling. Even Mason bees require mud to seal their brood.

Gift Thoughtfully

When sending greeting cards, include a package of bee friendly flower seeds

Know Your Source

If you know the beekeeper, you know the honey is local, it is not contaminated or mixed with corn syrup, and it has not been heated or ultra-filtered. And it might even contain nectar from flowers in your yard.

All Bees Are Valuable Pollinators

Learn about the roles of bees that are not honey bees. There are about 4000 species of bee in North America alone and many of these pollinate crops better than honey bees do. They suffer from from many of the same diseases, poisons, and lack of forage that honey bees suffer from.

Participate in the Great Georgia Pollinator Census
https://ggapc.org

Beekeeping is Sweet!