Table of Contents
Letter from the President
Happy summer everyone.
I hope all is well with you and your bees. It has been a trying year so far across the State from all I am hearing, but that seems to be the norm here in Alabama. I have heard most people are little to no honey, up to 25% off from last year.
We here at ABA have been working hard planning and getting your Fall Conference together. It is looking to have some great talks, food and fellowship as well as great vendors. We also just wrapped up the Master Beekeeper Program in Clanton. Congratulations to all those who took part and those who received certification. I encourage anyone wanting to expand your knowledge in bees to look into taking part in the program next year.
Remember now is the time to start preparing for next spring with your bees. What you do in the next few months will determine how well they do in spring.
I look forward to seeing you all in Clanton the third Friday and Saturday in September.
Hal Hendrix
President ABA.
Letter From the Vice President
WOW This bee year has flown by! I know one thing I AM READY for cooler temperatures and my bee ladies are as well!
I hope that you all have harvested your honey! I would love to hear how good or bad your harvest was! I beelieve it was a good honey year.
We are wrapping up the planning of our fall Confrence. We have some Amazing key note speakers and something offered for all keepers and spouses of keepers. Yall come and bee a part of our Fall Confrence! This years theme is “Well BEEING, from HEART to HIVE”!
Can’t wait to see you all soon!
YA’LL BEE BLESSED
ALLYSON
Letter from the Secretary
Happy August! I hope everyone has enjoyed their honey harvest and that you’re testing and treating for varroa mites. This is a really crucial time to do that, as the bees are preparing to make their winter workers.
If you are struggling with the choice of which treatment to use, I’d like to recommend that you listen to the Beekeeping Today Podcast. They are doing a series of special twenty minute episodes about all of the different varroa control methods, and I have found them to be very
interesting and informative. (By the way, I’m using Apiguard on my hives right now.)
The Alabama Master Beekeeper classes and testing were in July, and I got to attend the event this year as a Master Beekeeper. I didn’t have to study or take a test, and I was honored to get to teach one of the beginner classes. Congratulations to all the new Apprentices, Journeymen, and Masters!
Being at the Master Beekeeper event, listening to the Auburn scientists and the other Master Beekeepers teaching reminded me of one of my favorite things about beekeeping—that there is always more to learn. I’ve heard that beekeepers live longer than people who aren’t beekeepers, and maybe that’s why. Learning keeps you young. I encourage you all to keep
learning. Read a new book, listen to a podcast, go to a beekeeping club meeting, or watch YouTube. Most importantly: Sign up for the ABA Fall Conference in Clanton! Have you seen the list of keynote speakers!? You will definitely learn some things if you attend. Check it out on the ABA Website!
Amy Seiber, Secretary
Fall Conference Details
Make Your Plans Now for the 2025 Alabama Beekeepers Association Fall Conference!
Theme: Well-Bee-Ing: From Heart to Hive
September 19–20, 2025 | Clanton Conference & Performing Arts Center, Clanton, AL
This year’s conference brings together world-class beekeeping minds, fresh research, and practical skills for beekeepers of every level. Register now to hear from leading voices in beekeeping science, industry, and keeper care!
Keynote Speakers
- Randy Oliver – (TBA — You know it will be good!)
- Dr. Garrett Slater – Bee Breeding in the Age of Genomics -and- TBA
- Bob Binnie – Managing Varroa Mites -and- Old Comb and Toxic Chemistry in Our Colonies
- Jerry Hayes – Bee-conomics: The Billion Dollar Industry Within Your Hives -and- Honey Bee Nutrition
Other Featured Talks
- Mahmoud (Sammy) Ramazani – Plants, Landscape, & Nutrition for Honey Bees
- Mitch Henry, J.D. – Business Buzz: Legal and Profitable Beekeeping
- Dr. Esmareil Amiri – Small Hive Beetle Research
In addition, we have many other topics centered around the theme as well as everything from practical to advanced beekeeping.
Bee & Beekeeper Health & Well-being (conference theme)
- Diagnosing Diseases and Managing to Eliminate Them – Barbara Bloetscher
- Bee Stings Gone Bad: Managing Anaphylaxis – Donald E. Johnson
- Hive Mind: Bees, Balance, and Better Mental Health – Dr. James C. Guy
- Yoga and Stretching for Beekeeper Health – Shannon Brasovan
- Doing Removals Without Killing Yourself and Others – Donald E. Short
Bee Biology & Breeding
- Honey Bee Genetics and Breeding to Better Manage Varroa – Lawrence Connor
- Instrumental Insemination of Queens – Adler Salem & Jeff Monroe
Beekeeping Skills & Hive Management
- Splitting for Success: Year-Round Methods – Tyler Walker
- Using Swarm Boxes to Catch Feral Swarms & Your Own – George Baldwin
- NCRS Grants for Pollinators – Alex Johnson
Fun and Practical
- Making Beeswax Candles – Phillip Garrison
- Simple Video Tips and Tricks for Beekeepers – Bruce Jenne
- Lotions & Potions – Lisa Gowan
- Making Mead I and II – Roo Cline
- Honey Shows – Preparing for Competition – Kelley Fredrick
- Cooking With Herbs and Honey – Lisa Reynes
Beginner Beekeeper Program
All weekend in Room 102: “Bee-coming a Beekeeper” — a complete introduction to bees, equipment, and hive care from Adler Salem & Co. Whether you’re just getting started or brushing up on basics, you’ll leave ready to start your first hive with confidence.
Lunch and Learn (included with pre-purchased conference tickets by Sept. 15th)
This year, we will have special presentations during lunches.
- Friday: Q/A with the Alabama Master Beekeepers
- Saturday: State of the State with Inspectors (& Special Topic Presentation)
Vendor exhibits, honey show, association banquet, and plenty of networking time included!
Register today at AlabamaBeekeepers.com — seats are filling quickly!
Please use the side bar on the schedule below to view the schedule for Sept 19th and 20th.
ONE LAST NOTE
Your ticket price includes the best conference meals in the south and Alabama Beekeepers Association asks that if possible, as in years past, attendees please donate a homemade dessert in a disposable container. This has become a favorite tradition but we can’t do it without you. Dessert donations should be taken to the kitchen at registration.
Honey: Nature’s Medicine Cabinet, Straight from the Hive
A look at how honey keeps doing what it’s done for thousands of years—heal.
By Talmadge James, 2025 Master Beekeeper Candidate, Allums Farms & Apiary
Any beekeeper will tell you—honey isn’t just sweet, it’s special. Our bees work day in and day out to turn flower nectar into one of nature’s most impressive creations. And while most folks know honey tastes great, fewer realize it can actually help the body heal, too.
Long before modern medicine, ancient civilizations like the Egyptians, Greeks, and Chinese used honey to treat cuts, burns, infections, stomach problems, and sore throats. Today, science is starting to back up what they seemed to know all along—honey isn’t just food, it’s medicine.
Sure, honey is mostly sugar, but it also contains enzymes, antioxidants, minerals, and plant- based compounds that help fight inflammation and infection. These extras come from the flowers our bees visit, which means each jar has its own natural fingerprint. One of the best examples of honey’s healing power is how it helps wounds recover. It pulls moisture out of the wound, which makes it tough for bacteria to grow. On top of that, it produces a tiny amount of hydrogen peroxide to help clean things up. Hospitals today are even using medical honey to treat burns and pressure sores—it’s been shown to reduce
swelling, ease pain, and speed up healing.
Manuka honey, in particular, has gotten a lot of attention. It contains a compound called MGO that makes it especially strong against bacteria—even some types that don’t respond well to antibiotics. But any raw, well-handled honey from healthy hives has healing potential.
There’s also some interesting research about honey and blood sugar. While it’s still a sugar and should be treated as such—especially for folks with diabetes—it doesn’t spike blood sugar quite as fast as table sugar. Some studies even suggest honey may help lower bad cholesterol and support better blood sugar control, when used in small amounts.
Honey is also good for your gut. It helps protect the stomach lining, encourages good bacteria, and may even help prevent ulcers. And believe it or not, it’s showing promise for liver health and even brain function in early studies.
Of course, most of us have already used honey to calm a sore throat. A spoonful in warm tea or just straight off the spoon can coat the throat and settle a cough better than some over-the-counter syrups. That’s not just an old wives’ tale—clinical research backs it up, especially for kids.
Even in cancer research, scientists are paying attention to honey. Lab studies suggest it might slow the growth of certain cancer cells and help support chemo treatments. That doesn’t mean honey is a cure—but it sure points to how powerful these little bees’ work can be.
One final benefit that doesn’t get talked about enough: honey can help give your immune system a natural boost. It seems to help your body’s defense systems get ready and respond better when there’s a threat.
For us beekeepers, this just confirms what we’ve always believed—honey is more than a sweetener. It’s a gift. It’s health and healing, straight from the hive. Every jar we harvest carries not just the flavor of local blooms, but the hard work of our bees and the tradition of thousands of years of natural medicine.
So next time someone reaches for a jar of honey, remind them: it’s not just for toast. It’s for wellness. It’s for healing. And it’s one more reason to be proud of the work we do and the bees we care for.
Works Cited
Erejuwa, O. O., Sulaiman, S. A., & Wahab, M. S. A. (2017). Honey: A Novel Antioxidant.
Pharmacognosy Research, 9(2), 121–127.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5424551/
Alalbama Department of Agriculture Update
Followup on AHB Finding:
After the finding of AHB in Barbour County I installed 10 swarm traps within a 3-4 mile radius of AHB confirmation. In addition I collected bee samples from both registered and non registered beekeepers in the radius area as well as samples from tree cavities and abandoned houses for DNA testing. I wish I could say it’s an isolated AHB case but I’m not going that far until we get the results back from the current samples and future samples that will be taken from 2026 spring swarms.
On a different note it appears that more beekeepers are doing a better job treating for varroa, something that my test washes have been revealing. So I’m certainly glad to see more beekeepers taking action to keep varroa at lower levels. If you haven’t treated since last year DO check where your levels are on your strongest hives cause varroa will really start picking up now as hive populations are reduced. Personally, I am always treating all my colonies in July with Apivar or Varroxsan after pulling my honey, despite not doing washes at this time.
The Auburn Bee Lab did travel around the state to visit with beekeepers to see how effective Apivar(Amitraz) was working on varroa and their findings indicated that it’s still working well enough on most colonies. I’ve been seeing good results from Varroxsan and the Florida panhandle bee inspectors are saying the same thing. I’m reluctant to use oxalic acid vapor in the recent hot temperatures as it’s appears to be stressful on the bees and uncapped brood. Again, that’s just my observations.
Seems that after swarming in the spring we lose some colonies due to the colony not leaving a queen replacement. It’s unfortunate but it’s reality. If I lose a colony like that and I know it wasn’t due to pest and diseases then I want those queen and drone genetics out of my apiary. That’s just my view on it based on my own observations. Consequently, I just don’t get upset anymore from losing a colony from swarming. The benefits of swarming are natural brood breaks which are even more important for those who are not treating for varroa.
If you want a colony inspection don’t hesitate to contact your local state bee inspector. If you are not sure who your bee inspector is just call the Apiary Protection Unit at 334 240-7228 or go to our website, Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industry. Our primary role in doing inspections is to provide another view on the overall health and condition of your colonies. We are very flexible and will only check the colonies that you want inspected. We never force anyone to get an inspection by us if you decline. However, we will be requiring inspections on anyone that will be selling nucs and/or queens in 2026 to receive a health certificate. Without the health certificate you cannot sell nucs and/or queens. Why are we doing this? We are getting to many calls from individuals purchasing nucs that are loaded with varroa and bad queens! It’s very unfortunate that there are beekeepers out there knowingly or unknowingly doing this. Either way it has to stop! We certainly appreciate your cooperation and this will benefit all of Alabama’s beekeeping industry, especially beginners who need to start with healthy nucs.
Phillip Carter, Apiary Inspector
Plant Protection Division
AL Dept of Agriculture and Industries
1445 Federal Drive
Montgomery, AL 36107-1123
334 414-1666
phillip.carter@agi.alabama.gov
2025 Master Beekeepers Report
CONGRATULATIONS to the 2025 Master Beekeepers!
Left: James Guy
Right: Marisa Masters
Congratulations 2025 Journeyman!
David Goodson
Jeffrey Scott
Lisa Gowan
Kim Ly Patten
Jillian Scott
WELL DONE Apprentice Beekeepers!
The BOTY List
We Know! That’s a strange acronym to be in a beekeeping publication, but for your editor and many others have worked on this list, it has become much easier to type than BEEKEEPER OF THE YEAR.
Beekeeper of the Year was initiated in 2009 and Alabama Beekeepers Association has continued to recognize someone yearly for going above and beyond, not only in their personal bee business, but also in their public service related to beekeeping. We will honor another person at the Fall Conference. Below is a list of our state’s BOTY recipients who have and continue to exemplify outstanding service to our community. We hope that if/when you see “BOTY” in the future you’ll think of the beautiful people who have contributed so much to beekeeping in Alabama.
2025 Honey Show Rules
Rather than print all 16 pages of this year’s Honey Show rules they are published separately on our website and may be viewed HERE.
This & That
The Stinger has advertised CELL PUNCH QUEEN REARING KITS for many years. Barring someone taking up production of that product, this will be the last mention of it as Mr. Wil Montgomery passed last month. Wil was a patriarch of Alabama Beekeepers Association and trained many a beekeeper to rear queens. Rest in peace, Mr. Wil. You will be missed.
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Order your Hives and Supers for Pickup at the Fall Conference and save 5% on each.
$30 off all Bee Suits and Jackets.
10% off Hat/Veil combo and Gloves pre-ordered for pickup at the Fall Conference.
Pre-order your spring 2026 packages and save $5 each.
After the conference the price will be $140 per package.
Thank you for visiting The Stinger. We’re always open to improvement and welcome your thoughts, ideas, photos and submissions. Please send to stinger.editor@gmail.com.