You do not have to be a member to attend. Meetings are the 4th Monday of the month (sometimes we skip May or December). Come early because beekeepers like to buzz around in front of the hive.
SPEAKERS FOR 2020
January 27th - Jeff Dayton - Jeff is Crossville, TN's answer to the Bee Whisperer. A past President of the Cumberland County Beekeepers Association, Jeff is a popular speaker on catching swarms and bee removals. Jeff is a regular speaker at the TBA fall conferences and always draws a big crowd. Asked to describe Jeff, one person said he is master at manipulating bees, getting them to do what he wants them to do. Jeff also raises queens utilizing the cell punch method.
February 24th - Charlie Parton - A past President of TBA, Charlie is a well known speaker in the area. A member of the Blount County club, Charlie is well versed on many topics and a regular speaker at clubs across the region and a regular at TBA. Charlie will be speaking to TVBA on Nucs - Increase or Profit.
March 23th - Kent Williams - Kent is a legendary beekeeper in our area who has vast experience, manages well over 100 hives, is Eastern Apicultural Society certified as a Master Beekeeper, and is paid for his beekeeping wisdom by some very large commercial beekeepers in and around Kentucky. He is the Lewis Grizzard of the Beekeeping world and will delight you every time you get a chance to hear him.
April 27nd - Dr. Clarence Collison - While almost a "local" to us, Dr. Collison is also a nationally recognized academic authority on honeybees. Now retired, he was Professor of Entomology and Head of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Mississippi State University. Prior to his move there, in 1989, he was an Extension Entomologist at Pennsylvania State University, where he served as Beekeeping/Pollination Specialist and Livestock Entomologist. He now travels the country lecturing about bees and writes for Bee Culture magazine. Dr. Collison will be speaking on Bee Nutrition.
May - TBA - No meeting this month due to Memorial Day Holiday.
June 22nd - TBA
July 27th - TBA
August 24th - TBA Elise Chapman, who teaches biology at UTC, will talk to us about bee biology. Elise just completed our beekeeper mentorship program, but has a great academic background in bee life stages, genetics and physiology. You won't want to miss this.
September - No meeting, but our annual picnic instead - details to come soon.
October 26th - TBA
November 23rd - TBA
December - We do not meet this month due to the holidays.