Lycoming County Beekeepers Association

2% of our nation has served in the armed forces. 🇺🇸

2% of our nation are farmers. 🚜

This , support those who protect us, those who feed us, and those who do both. ❤️

Reminder: Our meeting with our special guest is tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 7:00 PM!

Our next meeting is Tuesday 5/12 at 7:00 PM at the Montoursville Borough Building.

This month we will have a very special guest speaker.

Cheyenne Bastian-Brown from Ralston, Pennsylvania served as the 2024 Pennsylvania State Honey Queen and the 2025 American Honey Queen. Cheyenne is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s of science in Agricultural and Extension Education and a minor in International Agriculture. Currently she is an agricultural educator at Midd-West High School. In her community, she is involved in the Bradford-Sullivan Farm Bureau, Young Ag Professionals, the We Are Nextwork, the Troy Fair Board, and as a program coordinator for Pennsylvania State Honey Queen Program. She has passions in youth education, pollinator awareness, and agricultural advocacy!

Next Saturday, May 16, is our FREE Beekeeping Seminar !! Come learn about how you can successfully set up your own hive - or if you already have bees, now is your chance to get tips and advice from the experts, Hackenberg Apiaries! RSVP today to save your seat, by direct messaging or giving us a call!

Tick Prevention for Beekeepers This article describes tick-borne illnesses and when beekeepers are at risk. It describes the various ways beekeepers can prevent themselves from being bitten by a tick.

Our next meeting is Tuesday 5/12 at 7:00 PM at the Montoursville Borough Building.

This month we will have a very special guest speaker.

Cheyenne Bastian-Brown from Ralston, Pennsylvania served as the 2024 Pennsylvania State Honey Queen and the 2025 American Honey Queen. Cheyenne is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s of science in Agricultural and Extension Education and a minor in International Agriculture. Currently she is an agricultural educator at Midd-West High School. In her community, she is involved in the Bradford-Sullivan Farm Bureau, Young Ag Professionals, the We Are Nextwork, the Troy Fair Board, and as a program coordinator for Pennsylvania State Honey Queen Program. She has passions in youth education, pollinator awareness, and agricultural advocacy!

Here's some recent insights and updates from Mark Gingrich, the former president of the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association, and owner of Gingrich Apiaries.

Bee Emergency Resources, Varroa Mites and More Apiary Updates Spring beekeeping season has arrived. Here's the latest on new data regarding declining honey production, climate shifts, emergency preparedness and innovations in bee health.

Our April Beekeeper's Meeting is tomorrow, April 14th, at 7:00 PM at the Montoursville Borough Building.

Come join us while Aaron Kolb from Poco Farm Honey leads the discussion on splitting hives to make more colonies.

As always, bring a friend, and bring your questions for group discussion!

We do love our honey bees!

It’s Ok to Love All the Bees (Honey Bees, Too) WASHINGTON — North America’s bee populations are in trouble, but don’t blame the honey bees. While some people argue that an overabundance of managed honey...

Here's an interesting take on swarm cells. Maybe something to try the next time you see them!

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺…
But what if they’re actually one of the best tools a beekeeper has?

Most beekeepers see swarm cells and panic.
Cut them out.
Destroy them.
Stop the swarm.

But here’s the truth most don’t talk about. Swarm cells often produce some of the highest quality queens a colony will ever make.

And understanding that can completely change how you manage your bees.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗵𝗶𝘃𝗲
Why swarm cells produce excellent queens

When a colony builds swarm cells, it is not reacting in panic.

It is preparing to reproduce at its strongest point.

That means:
• The colony is full of bees
• Resources are abundant
• Nectar and pollen are coming in strong

Because of that, those queens are raised under ideal conditions from the very beginning.

Unlike emergency queens, which are made from older larvae in a rush, swarm queens are:
• Selected early
• Fed royal jelly from day one
• Raised when the colony is thriving

Research and field observation both show that queens raised under these conditions are often:
• Larger
• Better fed
• More productive
• Longer lasting

This is not a downgrade in quality.

It is the colony doing what it was designed to do.

But won’t that create “swarmy” colonies?

This is where a lot of people get it wrong.

Swarming is not a flaw.

It is reproduction.

A colony that wants to swarm is usually:
• Strong
• Healthy
• Growing fast

That does not mean every queen produced from that colony will constantly swarm.

Swarming behavior is influenced by:
• Genetics
• Space
• Management
• Environmental conditions

A well-managed split made from swarm cells can turn into a high-producing, stable colony.

In fact, many beekeepers intentionally use swarm cells because of the quality of queens they produce.

How to use this to your advantage

Instead of fighting swarm cells, you can use them.

When you see strong, well-formed swarm cells:
• Make a split
• Move frames of brood and bees
• Give that new colony the swarm cells

Now instead of losing bees to a tree somewhere…
•You just made a new colony
•You kept your genetics
•You gained production potential

That is not a problem.

That is growth.

The real lesson
Beekeeping gets easier when you stop working against the bees
and start working with what they are already trying to do.

Sometimes the thing we are told to remove is actually the opportunity we’ve been looking for.

If this helped you understand your bees a little better,
follow us for more real lessons from the hive.

From our hive to yours
Sweet Stingers Honey 🐝💛
Y’all BEEKEEPING It Real

Blairs Bees: Five Generations of Beekeepers - A Forgotten Farmer Documentary The Blair family has been keeping bees for nearly a century, we visited them in California to talk about being a beekeeping family that spans back all the wa...