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Published On 1/23/2026

A coordinated, continent-wide plan to protect honey bees, strengthen the viability of professional beekeeping, and safeguard food security across the United States and Canada.

Published On 1/21/2026

THE VERMONT BEEKEEPING MUSEUM and DISCOVERY CENTER, Inc. (VBMDC) is now a reality.
This organization was established to honor the late, beloved, longtime beekeeper and beekeeping educator Bill Mares and bring to fruition his desire to develop a Vermont Beekeeping Museum.

The Vermont Beekeepers Association (VBA) is calling statewide attention to a new report released by the University of Vermont Bee Lab documenting unprecedented honey bee colony losses in Vermont during the 2024–2025 season. The UVM survey captured data from 12 commercial and sideline beekeeping operations representing 6,434 colonies — over one-third of all colonies registered in Vermont in 2024. The findings: Vermont beekeepers lost 56.08% of colonies across the 2024–2025 beekeeping year. “This is not a normal loss year — this is an emergency signal,” said Andrew Munkres, Past President of the Vermont Beekeepers Association and co-author of the study. “These losses affect not just bees but Vermont farms, food systems, and rural livelihoods.”

VBA Winter Meeting- 1/31/25 @ CVU

Published On 12/3/2025

You’re invited to the Vermont Beekeepers Association’s Annual Winter Meeting!

When:
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 8:30 AM until 4:00 PM Eastern Time

Where:
Champlain Valley Union High School
369 CVU Rd
Hinesburg, VT 05461

The event is free for members and $15 for non-members (register ahead or at the door).

We’re excited to welcome our keynote speaker, Landi Simone, Certified Master Beekeeper and educator from New Jersey.

Join us for a full day of workshops for all experience levels, our annual honey show, and vendor booths.

Come learn, connect, and celebrate beekeeping with the VBA community!

Tunbridge World's Fair

Thank you to all our members who volunteered for this event. Whether a booth shift volunteer, a honey seller, or a committee member, with your help and generosity we had a successful, enjoyable and productive event.

Highlights of our booth were the ever-popular finding the queen in the observation hive, honey sticks, honey tasting, honey purchasing and sharing information about bees and bee keeping. It is a great opportunity to share the work of the VBA and our love of bees.

The 2026 Tunbridge World's Fair dates are not yet officially announced, but it will likely be held in mid-September 2026. The fair will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. (We’ll need a patriotic bee theme for our booth.)

VBA Raffle Winner!

Published On 9/16/2025

Over the past year, VBA member Anne Bowers (Franklin County) has led a fund-raising raffle for a beautiful framed quilt with help from Peggy Apple-Woods and her husband, Dana (Bennington County).

Published On 3/9/2026

The Vermont Beekeepers Association (VBA) will be holding a 3-day class for new
Vermont beekeepers who have just gotten honey bees or will have them soon. First and second-year beekeepers are also welcome to attend.

To register for this class, click the title of this article or click on the event name on the calendar. Either one of those will take you to the registration page with more details on the class.

The class will be held at the Rutland Free Library, 10 Court St, Rutland, VT, April 4 & 11, 2026, 10:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. each day

There will be a third, outdoor, in-hive workshop on a date, time, and location in early May. Details on the 3rd day will be announced later.

The registration fee for the class is $60, which covers all three days of instruction plus the text “The Backyard Beekeeper, 5th Edition: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden” by Kim Flottum and a free one-year individual membership in the VBA.

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