Bee Resources

I have put together a list of resources that will hopefully be helpful to beekeepers and allow them to minimize their efforts when trying to research basic bee information. The links I have below are ones that I have used in my research, and they have all helped me along my journey. There is a lot of information out there and this is by no means an exhaustive list, but I hope it can help point people in a good direction when searching for information. There is definitely some overlap in the resources, and you may see a link appear in more than one place. I have tried to categorize items, but some resources cover multiple categories. There is also a section for articles and sites that have lots of different topics. Please email me if you see a resource that you think should be added or if you find a link that is no longer valid.

Find a Good Mentor, Club, or Both

• I believe this is paramount when first beginning bee keeping. We are fortunate to have a very good local bee club that we attend, The Pittsylvania County Beekeepers Association. To learn more about why joining a bee clubs is a great idea and where your local club meets, use the local clubs link below.

• Local Virginia Clubs

Pittsylvania and Surrounding Counties in Virginia

• Pittsylvania County Beekeepers Association

• Dadant “Beekeeping Supplies and Equipment for Beekeepers” - Local Store in Chatham, VA

• Piedmont Beekeepers Association - Lynchburg, VA and surrounding counties

State of Virginia

• Virginia Beekeepers Association

• VDACS - inspection, services, and resources

• VDACS Apiary Inspection Map

Beginning Beekeeping

• Beginning Beekeeping Short Course Presentations - Virginia Cooperative Extension

• How to Become a Beekeeper in North Carolina - North Carolina State University

• Beekeeping Basics - PennState Extension

• Field Guide to Honeybees and Their Maladies - PennState Extension

• Beekeeping - Honey Bees - PennState Extension

• Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium - Bee Fact Sheet and lots of other information on beekeeping

• Reading A Hive - A lecture given by Kirsten Traynor at the 2021 National Honey Show

Bee Keeping Courses and Education

• Beekeeping 101 - PennState Extension

• Beekeepers Education and Engagement System - North Carolina State University

• Beginning Beekeeping Short Course Presentations - Virginia Cooperative Extension

• Virginia State Beekeepers Association - Educational resources from VSBA

• Eastern Apiculture Society - “The Eastern Apicultural Society of North America, Inc. (EAS) is an international nonprofit educational organization founded in 1955 for the promotion of bee culture, education of beekeepers, certification of Master Beekeepers, and excellence in bee research.”

Pollinator information

• Virginia Pollinator Resources - Virginia Cooperative Extension - Info on plants, trees, flora, ect

• Bee Friendly Flowers - NC Cooperative Extension

• Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium - Native Pollinators

• Celebrate Pollinators! - Virginia DWR article with lots of information and resource links

• Xerces Pollinator Conservation Program - “The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats.”

• Pollinators - NCDA&CS

• Pollinator.org

  • Native Pollinator Garden Recipe Card - NORTHEAST REGION (CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV)

  • Native Pollinator Garden Recipe Card - SOUTHEAST (NC, TN, AR, SC, GA, AL, MS, LA, FL)

Disease and Pest Information

• Bee Research Laboratory: Beltsville, MD

• A Quick Reference Guide to Honeybee Parasites, Pests, Predators, and Diseases - PennState Extension

• Honeybee Pests and Diseases - Dadant

• Managing Pests, Parasites & Disease - Cornell University Pollinator Network

• Apiculture Extension - Virginia Tech

Bear Prevention

• Electric Fencing for Bears - Virginia DWR

• Electrified Beehives - Virginia DWR

• Unwelcome Mats - Virginia DWR

• Virginia DWR Bear Webpage - Contains lots of bear information (also contains the three links above)

• Virginia Conservation Police - officers can offer valuable information and help on how to mitigate and control bear problems

Multi-Category/Miscellaneous Resources - Resources that I can’t figure out exactly where to put

• Resources for Beekeepers - American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) - Lots of great information, not all may be applicable to our region

• Honey Bee Health Coalition - bringing together beekeepers, growers, researchers, government agencies, agribusinesses, conservation groups, manufacturers, and consumer brands to improve the health of honey bees.

• Pollinator Network - Cornell CALS

• Apiculture & Beekeeping - North Carolina State University

• Apiculture Program - North Carolina State University

• Beekeepers - NCDA&CS

• Bee Group at Virginia Tech

  • Couvillon Lab of Basic and Applied Pollinator Biology - Virginia Tech

• Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium - Already listed other places, but there is lots of info here

• Bee Health - Bee Heath Community

• PB1745-Beekeeping in Tennessee - University of Tennessee

Swarm Information

• Honeybee Swarming Democracy - Interesting, short video on swarming from Virginia Tech

How Bees Communicate

• Videos on Bee Dancing - How bees communicate location of food sources, water, and swarm locations - Awesome BEEhavior!

  • The Waggle Dance of the Honeybee - Georgia Tech

  • Honeybee Waggle Dancing - Virginia Tech

  • Round and Waggle Dance - NC State Extension

  • Wonders of Creation: Honeybees - Apologetics Press

• The Bee, Part I: Dance of the Bees - MAHB - Stanford University

How to Build Bee Boxes

• Easy Box Joint Jig - Bourbon Moth Woodworking - Great video on how to make a table saw jig for cutting box joints if you would like to build your own bee boxes.

  • PB1745-Beekeeping in Tennessee - University of Tennessee - Figures 20-23 have standard Langstroth Hive dimensions and part information

  • INCRA I-BOX Jig - Don’t want to build your own box joint jig? Here is one for purchase!

Beekeeping Calendars

• A Beekeepers Year in a Virginia Apiary - Virginia Tech

• Calendar for Beekeeping in Central North Carolina - North Carolina State University

• The Beekeeper’s Calendar - Dadant

Magazines, Journals, Publications, Books, Etc.

• Bee Culture - “The Magazine of American Beekeeping”

• American Bee Journal - “The Beekeeper’s Companion Since 1861”

• Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping, Revised Edition - ISBN-10: 1878075292, ISBN-13: ‎978-1878075291

• The Beekeeper's Handbook - ISBN-10: 1501752618, ISBN-13: ‎978-1501752612

Beekeeping Supplies

• Dadant - Local office in Chatham, VA

• Mann Lake

• Shenandoah Bee Supply - Woodstock, VA

• Betterbee

• Miller Bee Supply - North Wilkesboro, NC

• Bailey Bee Supply - Hillsboro, NC