Since 1886 the Vermont Beekeepers Association 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 (VBA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization that represents beekeepers who raise bees for the love of honey and, in many cases, to make a living. We are unified in our concern for the health and well-being of our honey bees.
VBA members range from hobbyists with one or a few colonies to sideliners who try to make some extra income from their 25-200 colonies to full-time professional migratory and commercial apiculture enterprises. Join Today!
Beekeeping is an agricultural endeavor and honey is an agricultural specialty crop commodity like maple, apples, and veggies. In total, Vermont's 14,000 colonies produce about 700,000 pounds of honey per year. The VBA is an advocate for the health of our colonies and the health of our business statewide.
Our educational efforts help our members become Bee KEEPERS, not Bee HAVERS. The learning curve to successfully keep honey bees is very steep. Honey bees are incredibly sensitive to perturbations driven by weather, pesticides, diseases, pests, and seasonal changes. The VBA offers many ways to learn how to deal with these issues to be successful at keeping your bees alive, healthy, and productive.
As a VBA member, you'll be able to share in these benefits. The VBA:
- Nurtures beginning beekeepers and supports experienced ones with tested information and practices.
- Shares information about issues facing bees and their solutions.
- Helps develop markets for products from the hive.
- Is alert to state and national laws related to apiculture in Vermont including colony health issues and beekeeping business matters.
- Advocates for Vermont Beekeepers on issues important to the health of honey bee colonies and the health of the apiculture business in Vermont.
- Promotes understanding between the beekeepers of the state, the nation, and the world.
- Promotes public awareness of honey bee importance for pollination.
- Fosters interactions with the other members of the agricultural community.
- Helps develop programs for young people wanting to become beekeepers.
- Maintains a user-friendly website full of resources and features for beekeepers.
- Offers website information to help landowners protect and encourage honey bees and other pollinators.
- Sends VBA News communications via email and social media.
- Provides a Mentor Program and Beekeeper Helpline.
- Holds educational workshops for beekeepers in person and via Zoom including past educational workshop recordings and PowerPoint presentations.
- Members get a discount for Cornell's Master Beekeeping program.
- Holds semi-annual winter and summer membership meetings bringing in well-respected and interesting local, regional, national, and international presenters.
- List website sources for bees and queens.
- Provides a website list of swarm removers.
- Offers cookbooks and apparel.
- Members get a discounted subscription (20%) to Bee Culture magazine when placed by telephone.
VBA Leadership
President: Jeff Battaglini
Vice President: Bianca Braman
Treasurer: Richard Roy
Recording Secretary: Fred Putnam, Jr.
Membership Secretary: Mary Stoddard
Director At Large: Colin Whitehouse
Immediate Past President: Andrew Munkres
Advisory Board Members: Dr. Samantha Alger (VT Bee Lab), Brooke Decker (State Apiculturist), Aidan Merriam, Curtis Mraz, Ina Hillebrand (Social Media Coordinator), Jack Rath (Past VBA President), Sydney Miller, Vermont Bee Lab
Questions?
Please contact us.