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• June Monthly Meeting

  • When
    25 Jun 2026
  •  
    6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    437 Pilgrim Mill Rd

  Register

  
  

  Join us for an in-depth discussion on "The Science Behind Processing Honey", presented by Bob Binnie of Blue Ridge Honey Company!

  Bob Binnie is a commercial beekeeper and honey packer with apiaries in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains of Northeast Georgia and Western North Carolina. Along with his wife Suzette, Bob does business under the name Blue Ridge Honey Company and is based in Lakemont, Georgia.

  Beginning his commercial beekeeping career in 1981 in Oregon, Bob has been President of the Georgia Beekeepers Association, President of the Northeast Georgia Mountain Beekeepers Association, President of The Macon County Beekeepers Association in Franklin, North Carolina, and was voted Georgia Beekeeper Of The Year in 2003.

  
  

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• Disease and Disorder in the Field 2026

  • When
    11 Jul 2026
  •  
    4:30 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    Bill Dunn's Pecan Orchard/Pasture

  Register

  Disease and Disorder Day in the Field. 

  In depth discussion on honey bee disease and disorders and how to treat the hive.

  The class will be at Bill Dunn's Pecan orchard. Wear appropriate shoes and bring bug spray.

  Bring a folding chair and sack dinner. 

  "Primitive utilities" - bring toilet paper.

  Rain date is July 18th.

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• July Monthly Meeting

  • When
    23 Jul 2026
  •  
    6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    437 Pilgrim Mill Rd

  Register

  Join FBC in July for "Partnering with Biology to Improve Honey Bee Health" presented by Dr. Delaplane.

  Dr. Keith Delaplane is Professor Emeritus of Entomology at the University of Georgia where he served as Director of the honey bee program there between 1990-2024. Research by Keith, his students, and coworkers resulted in hundreds of publications including over 70 refereed research papers, 7 books, and 5 book chapters ranging across basic honey bee (and termite) biology, health management, pollination, and social evolution, garnering over 6400 citations by peers around the world.
  He is author of the books Crop Pollination by Bees (2000); its second edition published in two volumes in 2021 and 2023; and First Lessons in Beekeeping (2007; new edition due out this year). He co-edited Mites of the Honey Bee (2001) and served as senior editor of the 2020 edition of The ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture. His latest book, Honey Bee Social Evolution was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in October 2024.
  In 2014 he was inducted into the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire as an honorary member for his honey bee research and education efforts throughout the UK. Keith and his wife Sonja live in Athens where they keep a few bee hives in their back yard in the Normaltown neighborhood.

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• INTEREST ONLY- Certified Beekeeper Exam

  • When
    25 Jul 2026
  • Location
    TBD

  Registration is closed

  Please RSVP as soon as possible if you are interested in taking the Certified Beekeeper Exam with our club late July. Exact date TBD, but likely July 25.
  
  This event serves as a placeholder to determine how many individuals are interested in the exam. Forsyth Beekeepers club will only be able to provide the exam if enough people are interested, as it is very labor intensive.

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• UGA Certified Beekeeper Testing

  • When
    25 Jul 2026
  •  
    10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    TBD
  • Spaces left
    97

  Register

  FBC will host UGA Certified Beekeeping exam.

  We will send out location and firm times soon.

  Below is the requirements for testing from the UGA Bee Lab Website.

  This is the information you will need for the testing.

  
  

  FBC will also host study classes (Dates to be determined)

  The study sessions are typically on Sunday afternoons.

  
  

  Certified Beekeeper Exam

  Individuals should be functioning as a competent hobby beekeeper with emerging skills and knowledge for functioning at the sideline level or serving as an industry leader and ambassador.

  Requirements:

  • Must have had at least one year beekeeping experience prior to sitting for exams.
  • Must pass a written and 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 common insects; honey bee worker, drone & queen, bumble bee, carpenter bee, cicada killer, European hornet & flower fly (new for testing in 2026)
    • recognize propolis and describe its functions; and
    • describe the layout of a brood nest, i.e., placement of honey, pollen and brood.
    • understand the basics of pollinator conservation (new for testing in 2026)
  • The written test includes material drawn from First Lessons in Beekeeping. 
  • The study guides are geared to help you study. Material in those guides have been drawn from First Lessons in Beekeeping. 

  The official program text is the 2007 edition of First Lessons in Beekeeping (Dadant & Sons). Here is the link for the Certified Study Guide, https://bjb211.github.io/bee-study-guide/. Candidates are also encouraged to read Dewey Caron's Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping, and Mark Winston's The Biology of the Honey Bee. If you have any questions please contact Jennifer Berry at jbee@uga.edu. 

  NOTE: The Practical portion of the Certified Beekeeper Exam has two parts - each takes approximately 15 minutes: [1] an outdoor exam where you will demonstrate your skills in lighting (and keeping lit) a smoker and working a beehive, and [2] an indoor exam where you will identify certain beekeeping tools & equipment.

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• August Monthly Meeting

  • When
    27 Aug 2026
  •  
    6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    437 Pilgrim Mill Rd

  Register

  Join us for our August club meeting!

  Dr. David Tarpy will be presenting (virtually) an exciting discussion on "Effects of urban- and agro-ecosystems on bees".

  Dr. David Tarpy is a Professor of Applied Ecology and the NC Extension Specialist in honey bees. Among other extension initiatives, his program runs the Queen & Disease Clinic and the Beekeeper Education & Engagement System (or BEES). His research interests focus on the biology and behavior of honey bee queens in order to better improve the overall health of queens and their colonies. His lab focuses on the reproductive potential of commercially produced queens, testing their genetic diversity and mating success in an effort to improve queen quality.
  He has served on the boards of the NC State Beekeepers, the Eastern Apiculture Society, the Bee Informed Partnership, and the editorial boards of the top two scientific journals on apiculture. He is a highly sought-after speaker for clubs around the country and is in high demand to talk about the research coming out of his lab

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• September Monthly Meeting + 2026 Honey Show

  • When
    24 Sep 2026
  •  
    6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    437 Pilgrim Mill Rd

  Register

  Join us in September for our monthly club meeting AND 2026 Honey Show.

  Dr. Lewis Bartlett will be our guest speaker, discussing "Progress, problems, and new horizons in Varroa control".

  Dr. Lewis Bartlett is an assistant professor at the University of Georgia, cross appointed between the departments of Entomology and Ecology. He works on infectious disease and parasite control alongside honey bee biology and health. He has worked with and kept bees for over thirteen years across the UK, California, and Georgia. Some of his recent research includes the effect of pesticide exposure on bee health, new parasite controls, crowding of honey bees, and the mechanisms bee use to keep themselves clean.

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