MONTHLY MEETINGS

Meetings are held from 7 pm to 8:30 pm on the fourth Monday of every month at the Chester Frost Park Pavilion, 7989 Causeway Road, Hixson, TN 37343.

Attending one of our monthly meetings is the best way to see what we are about. Our meetings usually include:

• Updates on current and upcoming projects and events
• An educational presentation
• The latest on local and regional beekeeping issues and opportunities
• Question and answer session
• Raffle sale (when we can)

You can find others just getting started with beekeeping, as well as those who have been at it so long they do not want to confess.

There's usually a fair amount of "bee talk" going on both before and after our monthly meetings. So if you want to learn, plan to come early and stay late.  

YEARLY EVENTS 

There are a number of events that TVBA participates in annually, including: 

• The Discovery Museum Annual Honey Harvest Festival
• The Hamilton County Fair
• Annual Picnic and Honey Tasting
• Annual Tennessee State Beekeepers meeting
• Various educational opportunities, including the Mentorship Class for Beginning Beekeepers.

These events all address the TVBA mission statement above, and are accompanied by a sense of cooperation, collegiality and fun.

We value the support of our state apiarist and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville Extension Office.

Registering your hives through the state is the law, and the best way to protect your investment from errant spraying of insecticides and other known threats to your bees. We can help you get protected.

MENTORSHIP CLASS FOR BEGINNING BEEKEEPERS

TVBA's mentorship class is one of the finest to be found in how it pairs beginners with experienced beekeepers over a period of months. 

You can sign up now for the 2021 class by contacting Elise Chapman at Elise-Chapman@utc.edu. She teaches pollinator biology at the University of Tennessee--Chattanooga.

New beekeepers starting with no knowledge or equipment complete the program with state-registered hives as well as the basic equipment and understanding they will need to continue beekeeping.

Beekeeping can be an individual or a family activity and we encourage young beekeepers to join the program. All who participate will learn an appreciation of nature that will last a lifetime. 

Because lifting a “super” full of honey can be a challenge we require that an adult participate with anyone under 16 years of age.

Sessions are held on Saturdays or in the evening and will include lectures as well as hands-on training at our class hive locations.