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A calendar of events has been  established in cooperation with Bee Culture Magazine, which includes beekeeping activities not only in Florida, but elsewhere.  Many local events will no longer be listed individually on this home page.  Always consult this global calendar to find out what is going on in Florida and elsewhere.  Send items to include on it to the Calendar Master.  

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Membership Discussion:  A dialogue on association membership is continuing.  A background on this important issue from the standpoint of the effort by others informs the conversation.  Let us hear from you.

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BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES:

The Chief Apiarist, Jerry Hayes, has issued the following notice:

We have just had approved the Beekeeper Compliance Agreement, "Best Management Practices for Maintaining European Honey Bee Colonies" and the separate Beekeeper Compliance Agreement "Best Management Practices for Producing Honey Bee Queens in Florida".  

As directed by the Honey Bee Technical Council these have been produced and are now available to all registered Florida Beekeepers through our office.

We appreciate the opportunity to work with the Florida Beekeeping Industry to help educate the public about the importance of Florida Registered Beekeepers during the spread of Africanized Honey Bees in our state. These compliance agreements are available to all registered Florida Beekeepers and are completely voluntary in nature. They should provide another tool to protect the strength and health of the Beekeeping Industry in our great state.

Please share this information with the membership of the Florida State Beekeepers Association at your earliest convenience and direct any questions to my office at (352) 372-3505 extension 114 or 421.

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Facts About the Association:

The Florida State Beekeepers Association has a distinguished history.  Its mission is dedicated to keeping Florida apiculture strong and healthy in the new millennium.   The Association is the major lobbying force for the state's beekeeping industry and works with the University of Florida's Institute of Food,  Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), Florida Farm Bureau and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry's Apiary Inspection program, through which all honey bee colonies in Florida are required to be registered by law. The Association also provides an exhibit each year at Florida's State Fair in Tampa.    This website complements the Association's other activities, which are governed through a constitution and bylaws, and include a quarterly newsletter and electronic discussion list, periodic meetings by the governing body, the Board of Managers, and the membership as a whole, which meets in convention once a year to help set policy and approve a budget.  The lifeblood of the Association has traditionally been its affiliation and ultimate governance by local associations, each appointing a delegate to represent it in deliberations at the state level.  The Associations also recruit members.  There are three kinds of membership: 1) dues-paying yearly (valid November 1 through October 31) for $15 and 2) lifetime through donating to the Conrad Cramer Memorial Apiary, which provides additional financial resources for Association activities, and 3) Extra Milers, contributing the equivalent or more of an additional life membership.    Only members (see brochure) receive the quarterly paper newsletter, The Florida Beekeeper.  Membership privileges include a discount to the two major U.S. beekeeping journals, Bee Culture, American Bee Journal and southeast's apicultural newspaper, The Speedy Bee.  Just mention you are a member when subscribing. We hope you enjoy this website. Please contact any of the officers or representatives with suggestions on how it and the Florida State Beekeepers Association might serve you better.  Malcolm T. Sanford, Executive Secretary.

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