Explore – Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association

Jeff with Swarm

Give a Swarm a good home

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: How long has the swarm been at this location? What is the exact address of the…

macayran @ Pixabay, carpenter bee on pink flower

Carpenter Bees

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…

Fall Picnic

hansbenn @ Pixabay, extracting honey, honey gate and filter

2023 MABA Honey Show Rules

Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association Honey Show Rules, 2023 (Word doc) Best in Show is Awarded $250, then in each category 1st Place is Awarded $100, Second Place is awarded $50 and Third Place is awarded $20, in addition to Ribbons and Prize Cards (Black Jar and Novice classes are only awarded 1st Place Ribbons, Prize Cards and $100). General Rules of the Honey Show: The honey show is open to any current MABA member who is attending the Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association Potluck Social who wishes to enter one or more classes. MABA members serving as show judges, secretaries and…

Image by Irina Ilina from Pixabay

Request a Speaker

AxxLC @ Pixabay, Winner medal

2020 Beekeeper of the Year – Jimmy Gatt

Jimmy Gatt is a Georgia Journeyman Beekeeper and recently elected Vice President of Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association. He is an active member of the club and has led Certified and Journeyman classes and the online Facebook mentoring group for MABA. Jimmy also partners with Trees Atlanta to promote summer-blooming, nectar-bearing trees. The MABA beekeeper of the year is someone who has not only demonstrated and promoted good beekeeping, but who also has served the Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association as an outstanding volunteer. To nominate someone for this year’s award (2021), fill out this form by September 1. The award will…

MABA One Day Beekeeping Course – 27 Jan 2024

An Introduction to Honey Bees and BeekeepingCome 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…

rostichep @ Pixabay, dead bee on back on wood

Bee Kills – Reporting

How to Report Bee Kills The experience of finding your bees dead in piles is devastating. One tempting response is to withdraw from a hobby that causes such a painful experience. Another response is to recognize that – as stewards of our environment – much work remains to be done and that courageous individuals can make a difference. Before there can be any legislation to protect honey bees, there must be evidence that bee kills occur with enough regularity to enact legislation in the first place. That is why beekeepers should report all bee kills at state and federal levels.…

Bee on flowering tree

Trees for Bees – Vendors

Here’s a good list of places where the recommended trees and shrubs are available for purchase. Contact us here if you have additions to this list. What trees are good for bees?Georgia nurseries selling bee-friendly trees: Nearly Native Nursery: https://www.nearlynativenursery.com - GeorgiaJim and Debi are serious about native plants and are broadly supportive of this initiative to help plant trees for bees. Other nurseries selling bee-friendly trees: Rock Bridge Trees: https://rockbridgetrees.com/ - Tennessee“Trees for Bees” is the secondary logo. Dave Hughes is serious about helping the bees and knows how: plant more trees! Honey Tree Nursery: https://honeytreenursery.com/ - MichiganMike Connor is…

Buntysmum @ Pixabay, three honey bees on blackberry blossoms

Online Meetings

MABA is supporting the “At Home Beekeeping Series: Distance Learning for Beekeeping Clubs” initiative created by the apiculture research/extension programs at various SEC Universities including Alabama Extension, Auburn University, University of Florida, University of Georgia, The University of Tennessee Knoxville, and Texas A&M University.May 25 – Working with Mosquito Control to Protect Bees - Kristen Healy, Louisiana State University Recording: https://fb.watch/5Slb8qIALP/June 29 – Reading a Honey Bee Frame - Kate Ihle, USDAHow to ParticipateThis online series is presented through Zoom, an online video platform, and through Facebook Live on the last Tuesday of the month 6:30 - 7:30 pm Central…

Junior Beekeeper Programs

Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association’s Junior Beekeeper programs are unique opportunities for children ages 6* – 13 to experience hands-on learning about our most powerful pollinators.Children will learn all about honey bees and beekeeping using a variety of methods before suiting up in protective gear and visiting a beehive with an experienced beekeeper!The day ends after extracting honey from a hive and participants are sent home with a personalized certificate, small bottle of honey, and other bee related goodies.All programs are held on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.The programs will be held on the following days in 2023, rain…