Our Daily Show Interview! Eastern Missouri Bee Keepers Association!

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SAINT LOUIS - The Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association invites beginning and experienced beekeepers to their 2025 Beekeeping Workshop and Honey Show.

From 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, community members are invited to Holiday Inn in Sunset Hills, Missouri for a full day of speakers and vendors. Intermediate and expert beekeepers will learn more about biology, queen rearing, pest control and colony behavior, while the beginner track is tailored toward those with no beekeeping experience so they can start beekeeping in the spring.

“We really wanted to focus a lot on quality. Any time that the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association tries to do something, we try to do it pretty well,” said Tom, a representative with EMBA. “Whether you want to be a beekeeper or not, you really need to come. The fascination of learning about this God-given insect that we have here is just mind-boggling.”

Tom, Dan and Melissa, who all work with EMBA, explained that they chose high-quality vendors and speakers who won’t overlap or compete with one another. Speakers include Natalie Summers, Bob Binnie, Cory Stevens, Earl Hoffman and Jim Masucci, major names in the beekeeping industry.

“They’re all top-notch,” Dan said. “People know them. We don’t try to throw somebody out there that nobody has ever heard of, doesn’t have any kind of street cred or anything like that. We make sure the speakers are good quality and will help educate our beekeepers.”

EMBA has monthly meetings with speakers, and they offer a mentorship program where beginners are paired with experienced beekeepers so they can ask questions and learn more about how to care for their colonies. They also have regular social outings, including a picnic in September and a holiday party in December.

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Dan noted that beekeeping is a team effort, and EMBA provides those socialization and educational opportunities for its members. There are several resources available to help people learn more about beekeeping, and EMBA aims to be one of those resources.

“Of course, beekeeping is a very social club as well, so we like to get together and just have some fun,” Dan said. “It’s an opportunity for everybody to get together and tell their bee stories.”

As part of the 2025 workshop, attendees can also sign up for a Mardi Gras Banquet on Feb. 7, 2025, where they can meet with speakers and vendors and enjoy a talk by Bob Binnie. Tickets for the banquet cost $48 and can be purchased here.

On Feb. 8, in addition to the workshop with the beginner and experienced tracks and vendors, the American Honey Show Training Council will host an introductory Honey Judge Training for those who want to learn more about becoming a honey judge. This all-day training costs $95, and attendees will be certified Honey Judge Candidates at the end of the class.

“The American Honey Show Training Council basically teaches people about how to prepare their items for entering a honey show, and then also if you’re interested in becoming a honey judge, this is the start to that path,” Melissa explained. “Tom and I actually took the class at Illinois State Beekeepers Association’s Workshop back in November, and it was very informative. It was a really great class.”

As EMBA prepares for the 2025 workshop, Melissa, Tom and Dan hope to see many new and experienced beekeepers in attendance. They noted that beekeeping is a craft, and they’re eager to be a resource for people who want to learn more.

“Bob Binnie basically says that beekeeping is 50% art and 50% science,” Tom added. “There’s a lot of basics there, but the art to beekeeping is that experience that you get. You make those mistakes. You get up, you dust yourself off, and you move forward and keep progressing in that positive way.”

Tickets to the EMBA 2025 Beekeeping Workshop and Honey Show cost $110. You can purchase tickets online. For more information about the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association, visit their official website at EasternMOBeekeepers.com.

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