At our August 11 meeting, MABA will welcome Mike Evans, Director, 
Plant Protection Division at the Georgia Department of Agriculture. He will be giving us an update on GDA's efforts to eradicate the Yellow Legged 
Hornet. In August 2023,  yellow-legged hornets (YLH; Vespa velutina) were identified near Savannah, GA,  the first time the species has been detected in the U.S. Because the yellow-legged hornet poses a serious threat to honey bees and other pollinators in Georgia, it is imperative that these invasive pests are tracked and eradicated. Last year, some 47 nests were located and destroyed in the Savannah area. This talk will…

  At our July meeting, MABA will welcome Dr. Cameron Jack, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Entomology and Nematology Department at the University of Florida. He will be speaking on the topic of "Educating the Next Generation of Beekeepers." Cameron has been interested in beekeeping since his youth and now teaches several courses related to honey bees and apiculture at the University of Florida. Cameron has responsibilities in instruction and research related to honey bees. His goal is to create an educational program that prepares students for the many challenges associated with beekeeping and to train those interested in entering…

Just in time for you to begin making your preparations for MABA’s own upcoming annual event, Julia Mahood will discuss how to prepare winning entries for honey shows. A winner of countless honey show ribbons, Julia Mahood is a Georgia Master Crafts Beekeeper from Atlanta. She is the current president of the Georgia Beekeepers Association and a past president of Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association. Julia started the beekeeping program at Lee Arrendale State Prison and through the GBA assists in starting and supporting prison beekeeping programs in the state. She has won many awards for her honey and hive products.…

Registration is now open for those wishing to take part in this year’s MABA Journeyman Beekeeper test study group.  If you have at least two years of practical beekeeping experience, and have held your UGA Certified Beekeeper rank for at least one full year, you are eligible to sit for the UGA Journeyman level test. (For complete requirements, see: https://bees.caes.uga.edu/georgia-master-beekeeper-program/certification-levels-related-requirements.html#Journeyman) Testing will be administered on Thursday, September 11, during this year’s Georgia Beekeepers Association conference in Gainesville, GA. The Journeyman test is challenging, and requires considerable test preparation and independent learning. This study group is intended to help you prepare for…

At MABA’s May 12, 2025 meeting, we will welcome as our speaker MABA vice president Ed Morgan, Jr.   Think you can't make money keeping bees?  Think again. Several years ago, Ed Morgan, Jr. quit his full-time job to pursue all the many other ways he (and his bees) could earn a dollar.  Operating Bean’s Bees and Honey (beansbeesandhoney.com), he maintains bee colonies for honey production all over the metro Atlanta area; offers hive tours through the Air BnB Experiences platform; collects swarms; and specializes in structural bee removals. In 2022, he was recognized as MABA’s Beekeeper of the Year. …

Ryun Forsman from Lake Hartwell Beekeepers Association will speak to MABA on the many clever and innovative uses he's found for using 3-D printed materials in his apiary -- including pocket-sized frame rests, magnetic hive tool holders, frame spacers and more. Ryun became a beekeeper in 2019, and has since combined his interest in bees and 3-D printing into a business.. Ryun operates an Etsy store where he creates and sells his 3-D creations to other beekeepers. Our monthly meetings are held at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church (3180 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30305) inside third-floor classroom C302 on…

Ready to take the first step on the long journey to becoming a master beekeeper? If you have at least one year of practical beekeeping experience, you are eligible to sit for the UGA Certified Beekeeper examination. The Certified Beekeeper test has two parts: a written exam and a practical test. The practical test includes being able to:• Describe the parts of a beehive;• Light and properly use a smoker;• Recognize the various stages of brood, different castes of bees, and find or at least describe the queen;• Differentiate between brood, pollen, capped honey;• Recognize common diseases and disorders;• Recognize…