VBA workshops and events for the month of August 

Join the Vermont Bee Lab

to learn about UBeeO

August 4th, 2026

4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Burlington, VT

Join the Vermont Bee Lab to learn about UBeeO, a way to measure hygienic behavior in bees! In this workshop, we will demonstrate how to perform UBeeO assays and hopefully find some high-scoring colonies.

We will discuss guidelines for reliable testing in the Northeast and discuss our experience using UBeeO in various selection programs.

Register by sending Deb Rubin an email directly from the VBA website

VBA Board Meeting

August 5th, 2026

7:00 to 8:30 pm

via Zoom

The VBA’s monthly Board Meeting is open to all. Zoom info is available on the VBA website.

Harvesting the Crop Workshop August 8th, 2026 10:00 am  to 1:00 pm Cornwall, VT Hosted by Andrew Munkres at his beeyard, in this workshop you will learn how to: light a smoker remove bees from supers uncap frames extract honey properly label honey and more… Register on the VBA website calendar. VBA membership and login are required. Vermont Women in Beekeeping Workshop Open Hive August 23rd, 2026 1:00 to 4:00 pm Shelburne, VT The VBA Women in Beekeeping enthusiastically invite you to join Kathy at Bee Tender Farm in Shelburne for a hive inspection and honey spinning demo. We will have a chance to observe the basics of late summer hive management and spinning frames for honey extraction. This will also be a great chance to network and connect. Beekeepers of all genders and experience levels are encouraged to attend. Register on the VBA website calendar. VBA membership and login are required.

 Join Vermont Honey & Help Showcase Vermont Beekeeping

Dear Vermont Beekeepers Association Members,

If you are producing honey in Vermont, we’d like to invite you to join VermontHoney.org, a platform developed by VBA to support Vermont beekeepers and strengthen public awareness and access to locally produced honey.

By creating a custom profile on the site, you will be able to:

• Showcase your apiary or honey operation to the public

• Add a pin to our interactive map, helping consumers find where they can purchase your honey products (if you sell honey)

• Contribute to broader efforts to increase public awareness about honey production and the importance of beekeeping in Vermont

Whether you're a hobbyist, sideliner, or commercial beekeeper, your participation strengthens the visibility of Vermont's honey industry. If you sell honey or other hive products, your profile can help customers discover your business and connect with local producers.

Even if you do not sell honey, we strongly encourage you to create a profile on Vermont honey.  It helps the public connect faces and stories to the important work beekeepers are doing across the state, while elevating the beekeeping industry in Vermont.

**Fill out our annual Vermont Honey questionnaire on our website VermontHoney.org

This questionnaire collects all information needed to create your new profile on VermontHoney.org and helps us share the story of Vermont beekeeping with consumers across the state. Your responses may be used to create a feature about you and your operation on Vermont Honey's social media. These posts highlight Vermont beekeepers and promote locally produced honey and hive products.

The survey should take about 5-10 minutes to complete. Please provide as much information as you're comfortable sharing.

Additionally, we are always looking for original written articles about Vermont honey to feature on our website. We welcome submissions on topics such as recipes, personal beekeeping stories, the importance of bees, the benefits of honey, and other insights from knowledgeable contributors like you. If you are interested in sharing your ideas or submitting an article, please send your proposals and/or completed pieces to markets@vermontbeekeepers.org.

Thank you for your participation. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Warm regards,

Vermont Beekeepers Association

BCBC Monthly Meeting Location Change for Thursday July 9th

Good day beekeeper,

Due to a miscommunication we have just found out that the Bennington Library is not available for our meeting Thursday.  The club officers have decided to change the agenda to a BBQ and hold the meeting at Shaftsbury State Park at 5:30 PM! Burgers, hot dogs and charcoal have been donated. So we ask that you bring a dish for the pot luck as you so generously do for our regular meetings. Unfortunately, the admission for Vermont State Parks has been increased to $5 per person.

Apologies for the last minute changes. Weather permitting this will be a great opportunity for members to socialize and still talk about bees in the place where bees live, outside.

 

 Bennington County Beekeepers Meeting July 9, 2026

Hello Beekeepers!

The July meeting of the Bennington Beekeepers Club will be held Thursday July 9, 2026, starting at 6:30 pm, at the Rotary Room of the Bennington Free Library, 101 Silver Street, Bennington VT

6:30 Potluck 

7:00 Meeting begins

* If you are able, please bring a dish to share with the group, as well as a plate, cup, and utensils, if possible.

* Please note the library closes at 7 pm. If you arrive late you may call me at 347-419-3910 to gain entry.

Warm regards,

Liz Baker

 VBA workshops and events for the month of July

Online Workshop

Re-queening Colonies

July 9th, 2026

7:00 to 8:30 pm

via Zoom

How to determine if you need to re-queen and how to do it successfully if you do. Hosted by Andrew Munkres.

Register on the VBA website calendar.

VBA membership and login are required.

Vermont Women in Beekeeping Workshop

Hive Inspection

July 12th, 2026

1:00 to 4:00 pm

North Chittenden, VT

Join the VBA Women in Beekeeping for a hive inspection workshop hosted by WillowBee Farm in North Chittenden. You’ll get a hands-on look into their colonies and will be able to ask questions about mid-summer hive maintenance.

Register on the VBA website calendar.

VBA membership and login are required.

Finding Drone Congregation Areas Workshop

with Julia Mahood

July 17th, 2026

2:30 to 4:30 pm

Sudbury, VT

Join Georgia Master Craftsman Beekeeper Julia Mahood for a field demonstration exploring Drone Congregation Areas (DCAs), the aerial locations where honey bee drones gather to mate with virgin queens. Using drone technology and the methods developed through her citizen science project, MapMyDCA.com, Julia will demonstrate how these elusive locations are identified and studied. Participants will learn about drone behavior, and how beekeepers can contribute to ongoing DCA research.

Register on the VBA website calendar.

VBA membership and login are required.

VBA Summer Meeting

July 18th, 2026

8:30 am to 4:00 pm

Montpelier, VT

Our annual summer meeting with keynote speaker, Julia Mahood, VBA Business, Recognition Awards, various workshops and vendors.

All the details on the VBA calendar.

AMA #3 - Late summer management

Online workshop

July 29th, 2026

7:00 to 8:30 pm

via Zoom

Learn about robbing, dearths, providing water, removing bees from supers, extracting tips, long term storage of honey supers, pollen sub, and more.

With time to ask all your questions.

Register on the VBA website calendar.

VBA membership and login are required.

 

VBA Summer Meeting Agenda Saturday, July 18th, 2026 U-32 Middle & High School 930 Gallison Hill Rd Montpelier, VT  05602 8:30 am - 4 pm Join us for the Vermont Beekeepers Association’s Annual Summer Meeting!

Admission is free for members and $15 for non-members (register ahead of time or pay at the door) 8:30 – Registration starts. Raffle, vendor and visitor tables open 9:00 - 9:05 - Welcome and opening remarks – VBA President, Bianca Braman 9:05 – 9:10 - Tunbridge Fair Update - VBA Membership Secretary, Mary Stoddard 9:10 - 9:40 - Business Meeting  9:40 - 9:50 - Recognition Committee 9:50 - 10:20 - Updates from: Vermont Beekeeping Museum Beekeeper Relief Fund Vermont Bee Lab 10:20 - 10:40 - Refreshment Break & Beekeeper Networking 10:40 - 12:00 - Keynote Speaker:  Julia Mahood: It’s all about the Drones Honey bee drones are the Rodney Dangerfields of the bee world; they (often) get no respect! Learn all about the amazing drones and their mysterious drone congregation areas (and how to find them using the other kind of drone). 12:00 – 1:00 - Lunch - Bring your own or place an order a pre-packed one when you register. 1:00 - 3:40 Concurrent workshops/Educational Sessions  Session 1 - 1:00 – 2:15 Horizontal hives - Jason Morin - Learn how horizontal hives can reduce heavy lifting while providing an alternative approach to managing honey bee colonies. Grafting workshop – Andrew Munkres, Bianca Braman, Cheryl Achilles  - Get an introduction to grafting and queen rearing through this interactive workshop. Participants will learn the grafting process and have the chance to try grafting themselves. Space is limited, so please sign up at the registration table. Record Keeping - Julia Mahood 2:15-2:25 Move to the next Session Session 2 – 2:25 – 3:40 Winter Bees: The skinny on fat bees – Julia Mahood - This presentation focuses on how honey bees physiologically prepare for winter. It teaches beekeepers how to help their colonies survive cold months by understanding the crucial, nutrient-rich "fat" bees that keep the cluster alive Making Candles – Cheryl Achilles - Explore the process of turning beeswax into candles. This workshop will cover cleaning and filtering wax, choosing appropriate wicks, and working with candle molds. Splits, Nucs, and Swarm Control – Bianca Braman - This workshop will cover how and when to split colonies, establish nucleus (nuc) colonies, and implement effective swarm control techniques. Attendees will learn how these management tools can help maintain strong, productive hives while reducing swarm risk. 3:40 – Meeting ends. Check the raffle tables and pick up your raffle winnings Vendors Dadant will be attending and bringing orders @ 10% off. Orders must be called in by Monday, July 13. Orders to be brought to the VBA summer meeting cannot be made online; their website will not list an option for delivery to our meeting. Place orders by calling the Dadant Pennsylvania Office: 570-980-9831 or 1-877-532-3268. Space is limited. BetterBee Is happy to bring pre-orders and set up a booth with items for sale if space allows.  You can place pre-orders online soon, but they can take them over the phone now.  They're renting a truck, and space is limited, so it will be first-come, first-served. Potluck Breakfast This year, instead of having our breakfast pastries and goodies catered, we are asking our members to bring some treats to share! If you like to bake and are able to make some snacks for the Winter Meeting’s morning break, we would love to sample them. Traditionally we have had muffins, pastries and cookies, but don’t let that stop your imagination! We ask that you bring at least 1 dozen and add an ingredient label in case of restrictions. Make sure to put your name on your container if you want it back. Please contact Bianca Braman for any questions: birchbeekeeping@gmail.com  Brown Bag Lunch Orders Brown bag lunch orders are available for pre-order now from Morse Block Deli in Barre. All the details and options are included in the registration link Keynote Speaker Julia Mahood Julia Mahood is a Georgia Master Craftsman Beekeeper who has been keeping bees since 2004 and has a particular fascination with the often-overlooked world of honey bee drones. She is the founder of MapMyDCA.com, a citizen science project that helps beekeepers locate and map drone congregation areas using innovative UAV-based techniques. Recognized as Georgia Beekeeper of the Year in 2018, Julia is an active leader in Georgia's beekeeping community and a dedicated educator. She coordinates the Georgia Beekeepers Association prison beekeeping program and teaches beekeeping in correctional facilities throughout the state. In addition to her beekeeping accomplishments, Julia is a graphic artist and designer of Georgia's "Save the Honey Bee" license plate. It will be a full day of learning, sharing, and sweet community—don’t miss it! U-32 Middle and High School Montpelier, VT  Full details on the VBA calendar