California State Beekeepers Association

06/05/2026

The CSBA + AHPA 2026 Joint Convention is bringing together some of the most respected voices in beekeeping, and we're excited to welcome Maggie Gill, founder of PHIRA-Science and an internationally recognized expert on honey bee health and Tropilaelaps mites.

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of Tropilaelaps biology, detection, management strategies, and what North American beekeepers can learn from regions on the front lines of this emerging threat.

With more than 20 years of beekeeping experience and a career dedicated to bridging the gap between research and practical application, Maggie's work is helping shape global preparedness for one of the most significant threats to honey bee health.

📍 Peppermill Resort Spa Casino | Reno, Nevada
📅 November 16-19, 2026

More convention details, session information, and the full schedule will be announced soon. Stay tuned!

06/02/2026

📢 The California State Beekeepers Association has formally opposed SB 1305, the proposed California Grizzly Restoration Act, and is actively engaging with legislators to ensure the concerns of California’s beekeepers are heard.

While grizzly bears have long been absent from California, beekeepers already face significant challenges from black bears damaging and destroying bee colonies. The reintroduction of grizzly bears raises additional concerns for an industry already working hard to protect pollinators, maintain healthy hives, and support California agriculture.

CSBA has discussed these concerns directly with the bill author’s staff and will continue monitoring the legislation while advocating on behalf of beekeepers throughout the state.

We encourage California beekeepers to contact their state legislators and share their opposition to SB 1305. Your voice matters!

Legislative advocacy is one of the many ways CSBA works year-round to protect the interests of beekeepers and ensure decision-makers understand the real-world impacts proposed policies can have on our industry.

Check out our website to learn more info:
https://www.californiastatebeekeepers.com/

05/30/2026

This month CSBA hosted legislative staff at Strachan Apiaries to give them an inside look at the realities California commercial beekeepers face. From hive health to the rising costs of caring for bees, attendees learned about the impact of varroa mites on colonies, the importance/roles of worker bees, queens, and drones, as well as the increasing production costs beekeepers manage, including supplemental feed like syrup used to keep colonies healthy and thriving.

Thank you to the offices of:
Assemblywoman Heather Hadwick
Senator Laura Richardson
Senator Megan Dahle
Assemblyman James Gallagher
Assemblyman Joe Patterson
California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross

Along with everyone else who showed up, participated, and helped create meaningful conversations around the future of beekeeping and California agriculture. These conversations matter and advocacy like this is exactly the type of work CSBA does on behalf of our members.

Interested in supporting the industry and becoming part of the conversation? Learn more about becoming a CSBA member here:
https://www.californiastatebeekeepers.com/membership-application/

05/20/2026

Celebrate this World Bee Day by entering our Bee Together giveaway 🐝💛

This year’s World Bee Day is all about beeing together — and what better way to celebrate than by growing our swarm? Invite your friends to join our community by tagging them in the comments and sharing this post to your story for a chance to win $100!

We’re also running a separate giveaway on our instagram account, so be sure to check it out for another chance to enter and celebrate with us!

How to enter to win $100:

✅ Like this post
✅ Follow us California State Beekeepers Association
✅ Tag friends in the comments!
(one tag per comment)
✅ Share this post to your story
(If your account is private, please DM us a screenshot of your story share for verification)

Enter as many times as you’d like by tagging another friend in a new comment. One entry for each friend tagged.

⏰ Deadline: 11:59 p.m. PT on 5/27/26.

The winner will be contacted via DM from California State Beekeepers Association. Shipping costs will be covered. No purchase necessary.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook. Click here to see full rules: https://bit.ly/4uinrX8

05/13/2026

Save the dates! 🐝

For the first time ever, the California State Beekeepers Association and the American Honey Producers Association are coming together for a joint convention and it’s shaping up to be THE beekeeping event to attend in 2026.

Join beekeepers, industry leaders, researchers, and partners from across the industry for a week of connection, education, and industry conversations focused on the future of beekeeping.

📍 Peppermill Resort Spa Casino — Reno, NV
📅 November 16–19, 2026
📝 Registration & vendor sign up opens August 1

We can’t wait to bring the beekeeping community together for this exciting first-of-its-kind collaboration. Stay tuned for more details!

05/02/2026

With spring comes splash outs and Saturday’s spent catching queens in Northern California!

CSBA Executive Board Member Matt Stayer, of Stayer’s Quality Queen Bees, Inc., is busy grafting, catching queens, and packaging them up to send to beekeepers across the nation and Canada.

04/21/2026

Trying to contact the owner of these hives, if you have any information please send us a message or shoot an email to [email protected].

04/03/2026

We would like to congratulate CSBA Board Member Jackie Park-Burris on being named one of the 2026 Common Threads North award recipients!

This award recognizes women in agriculture who have chosen to make a difference in their communities and our world through philanthropy and service. It honors those exemplary individuals whose extraordinary contribution of time, energy, and resources enhance the lives of all around them.

There is no doubt that Jackie has served the beekeeping industry through her many years as a queen breeder, board member, legislative advocate, and most importantly a mother that is nurturing the next generation. Thank you, Jackie!

03/26/2026

A big thank you to California Farm Bureau and CSBA Board member Roger Everett for taking the time to advocated for beekeepers and other ag industries in California!

Farmers who serve on the California Farm Bureau Board of Directors gathered in Sacramento last week to meet with legislators and regulatory officials to advocate on issues that affect agriculture.

Among the issues Farm Bureau board members spoke to lawmakers and their staff about were the recent increase in wolf-livestock conflicts, a proposed tax credit to offset the cost to farmers paying overtime wages, a bill that would require any wine labeled as “American” to be completely made from U.S.-grown grapes, and regulation of nitrate contamination in the state’s water supply.

Roger Everett, a Tulare County beekeeper and citrus farmer, described the Capitol visits as an opportunity for farmers to highlight agricultural issues that legislators from urban areas might not be aware of. “The majority of these people don’t engage in agriculture,” Everett said. “It’s on us to provide them with the information of our operations and what affects us, and how we’re going to survive in the world they’re trying to create for us.”

Read more in Ag Alert: bit.ly/4t8KYcm

📸: Manola Secaira

03/02/2026