The Bristol County Beekeepers Association is a group of honeybee enthusiasts whose purpose is to help each other and new people with their hobby.  Members of the club range from first year beekeepers to very experienced people that have handled a hundred hives and dealt with tons of honey.

From September through May, the club meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month at the Bristol County Agricultural High School located in Dighton, Massachusetts. Meetings start at 7 pm and usually consist of a business meeting followed by the meeting's Topic of Discussion. There is always time for questions and answers about what is happening with everyone's bees.

On Feb 2, 2009 the temp got to 50 and the bees came out for a "cleansing flight".  It had been a while since they relieved themselves, judging from lots of yellow spots on the snow.  The undertaker bees were busy taking the dead bees out of the hives.   Our 2 hives and a nuc all looked good, we gave them some fondant even though they still had a fair amount of honey left.

March 15, 2009 Photo by Mary Anne with bee getting pollen from witch hazel

March 22, 2007  photo by Mary Anne with bee taking pollen from crocus.   It won't be long now.

During June, July, and August the club meets at member's hives for beekeeping workshops. These are very informative and  people get a chance to watch some  work by experienced beekeepers. There is quite a bit of difference between reading about it, talking about it and seeing it.   It also gives the novice the opportunity to try bee handling with on the spot advice by people who have done it more often.

There is a bee school in the winter for people that want to learn (or learn more) about bees.  This is a good idea if you are even thinking about keeping bees.

We also have displays at some local fairs to inform people about honeybees as well as sell some honey and other products.

Can you find both queens??

Photo by Lucy T.

Notice the white pollen