PSBA 2024 Fall Meeting & Conference
The PSBA Fall 2024 conference will take place October 25-27, 2024 at the Ramada State College Hotel and Conference Center. Speakers will include Fred Dunn (Fred's Fine Fowl & Honey Bees), Peter Fowler (Michigan State University), Lewis Bartlett (University of GA), Hilary Kearney (Girl Next Door Honey), and many others. Beekeeping courses BK101 (for beginners and Instars) and BK201 (for experienced adult workers & drones) will be offered on Saturday morning. The current agenda is available. You can register here.
PSBA Newsletter
Due to high printing/mailing costs, we are no longer mailing the PSBA newsletter to members.
Our October 2024 newsletter can be viewed by clicking here
Pennsylvania Plant and Pollinator Protection Act
Updated 05/24/2024 - PSBA has been working on (and endorses) the new PA Plant and Pollinator Protection Act to replace the existing bee law. We received formal confirmation that Senator Carolyn Comitta has introduced the Plant and Pollinator Protection Act. It now has a bill number, SB 1198, and has been referred to the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.
Here are some additional documents as a condensed summary and talking points for stakeholders.
It will be important that your legislators hear from you directly. Please contact and/or send letters of support to your state senator asking them to support SB 1198.
Below are points you could highlight in your letter/correspondence to your state senator. Please see the attached legislative summary, co-sponsor memo, and talking points for additional information about SB 1198.
* Your understanding of why passing the Plant and Pollinator Protection Act is important
* How your work in the industry will improve if the bill passes
* The impacts of the bill not passing
* Affirm how the Department of Agriculture’s fees are necessary for your operation
* Explain any challenges you have had with the regulations in the Bee Law and/or the Plant Pest Act
We will discuss the new bill at our Summer Picnic at Knoebels, see below.
PSBA Summer Picnic - July 20, 2024
Our family-friendly summer picnic was held on Saturday, July 20, 2024 at Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg, PA. We had over 250 attendees with plenty of food and a productive business meeting. There was also a presentation about Overwintering Bee Hives Indoors in Pennsylvania, which is a grant research project occurring Nov 1, 2023 to March 30, 2024 - we learned the results from year 1.
Western PA 2024 Beekeeping Seminar Photos
Feb 9-10, 2024 - This was a fantastic event with hundreds in attendance! Many thanks to everyone who volunteered.
Pennsylvania Farm Show 2024
The 2024 PA Farm Show was held January 6 - 13 at the Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania Farm Show is the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association's showcase annual event and the primary source of fund raising for the Pennsylvania Honey Queen Program. More information is available by clicking here.
Beekeeper of the Year for 2023 Selected
The 2023 Beekeeper of the Year award was presented to Steve Repasky at this year's PSBA fall conference.
2024 Pennsylvania Honey Queen Brochures
Queen Cheyenne Bastian-Brown and Princess Libby Heaton's 2024 Pennsylvania Honey Queen Brochures are now available. A $10 donation for a pack of 100 brochures is requested. You can purchase brochures by contacting Cathy and Lucy at honeyqueen@pastatebeekeepers.org or you may print them from this pdf file if you prefer.
PSBA Summer Picnic 2023
Our summer picnic was held Saturday, July 15, 2023 at Fisher Bee Farm, located at 1 Queen Bee Lane, McVeytown. We had a great turnout and excellent BBQ provided by Justin Dobrowolsky & Carleen Vorisek. Photos will be posted shortly.
Western PA 2023 Beekeeping Seminar Photos
Feb 10-11, 2023 - This was a fantastic event with hundreds in attendance! Many thanks to everyone who volunteered.
Slide show recap of the seminar: https://annieo.smartslides.com/wpba_seminar <-- click this link
PA State Apiary Inspection
The 2023 PA State Apiary Inspection season has begun. Find your local inspector by clicking on your county on our map. The entire list of local inspector's names and contact information is also available on that same page.
Candidates wanted for 2025 Honey Queen and PrincessThe Pennsylvania Honey Queen Program is currently seeking candidates for the 2024 Honey Queen and Princess. Candidate must be a single female, between the ages of 18-24 as of November 1st, who is a resident of Pennsylvania. It is not necessary that the candidate come from a beekeeping background. Further qualifications and details on our Honey Queen Application Form. |
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