Who We Are and What We Do

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Since 1886 the VBA has promoted the general welfare of Vermont's Apiculture Industry while sustaining a friendly body of unity among the state's beekeepers.  

The Vermont Beekeepers Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, represents beekeepers who raise bees for the love and honey and in many cases, to make a living. We're as diverse as the 246 towns in Vermont, but are unified in our fascination with and affection for bees. VBA members range from hobbyists with one or two colonies to sideliners who try to make a bit of extra income from their 25-200 colonies as well as a number of full-time professional migratory and commercial apiculture enterprises. Join Today!

In total, our 14,000 colonies produce about 700,000 pounds of honey per year

We want to help our members become Bee KEEPERS, not Bee HAVERS.  Please look around and get involved! The bees depend on you for their very survival and your satisfaction.

Some of the things we offer:

  • Nurture beginning beekeepers and support experienced ones with tested information and practices 
  • Share information about problems facing bees and their solutions
  • Help develop markets for beekeeping products
  • Be alert to all state and national laws related to beekeeping and the production and marketing of honey and waxvbaworkshop24050810
  • Promote understanding between the beekeepers of the state, the nation and the world
  • Promote public awareness of honey bee importance for pollination
  • Foster interactions with the other members of the agricultural community  
  • Help develop programs for young people wanting to become beekeepers   
  • An ever-growing and user-friendly web site  
  • VBA Newsletters  
  • Mentor Programs
  • Young beekeeper scholarship program  
  • Educational workshops around the state 
  • Discounts for Cornell's Master Beekeeping program
  • Detailed workshop notes for self-guided learning
  • Winter and summer all-membership meetings  
  • Swarm list  
  • Cookbooks  
  • Discounted subscription (20%) to Bee Culture magazine, when placed by telephone

VBA Leadership 

President: Andrew Munkres

Vice President: Jeff Battaglini

Treasurer: Richard Roy

Recording Secretary: Fred Putnam, Jr.

Membership Secretary: Laura Johnson

Director At Large: James T. Key

Immediate Past President: Jack Rath

Advisory Board Members: Bill Mares, Samantha Alger, Greg Smela, Scott Wilson, and Brooke Decker (State Apiculturist.)

Questions?

Please use our Contact page.