For information on benefits of membership and how to join us, also see: Membership.

To join/renew online with a credit card, debit card, or PayPal account:

 Join Us!

To join/renew by mail, please complete the Membership Form and mail it along with membership dues (check or money order) to: OSBA Membership, 13601 S Union Hall Rd, Canby OR 97013

The newsletter can be printed from either the pdf or the FlipBook version. From the pdf, look to the upper right portion of the top bar where there are both print and download options. In contrast, the options for the printing and downloading from the FlipBook version are at the bottom, as follows:

This FlipBook differs somewhat from the format we have been using for some time now. To change settings, see the bar at the base of the newsletter image. Some of the controls are as follows:

The OSBA General Fund covers all expenses of the association excepting donations to research, although there is no stipulation against providing research funding as well. You can contribute to the work of the organization at General Fund. To donate to the OSBA General Fund online:

The OSBA provides a number of avenues for donating to research, among which are: the Northwest Apiculture Fund for Honey Bee Research, Extension, and Education, the OSBA Research Fund, the fund administered by the Agricultural Research Foundation at Oregon State University, and the Herman A. Scullen Fellowship Fund.

To make a donation to the OSBA Research Fund online:

Whenever possible and as has been the case for many years now, the Research Fund enables OSBA to make donations to regional research programs as well as match donations (up to $500) made by affiliated regional associations at the annual fall conference.

For all valuable research funds, please follow the links and follow instructions provided carefully to ensure that your donation is attributed as intended.

See information and registration form provided by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Please note that this is an annual activity!

Please contact the webkeeper at orsbawebmaster@gmail.com with event title, time, location, description, photo(s), and other details.

Visit the Swarm Call Page.

Send name, phone number (indicate whether or not text is okay), and up to ten locations to the webkeeper at orsbawebmaster@gmail.com. Also, please indicate if there are times you are not available and if you charge a fee. Please note that placement on the swarm call list is a benefit of membership in OSBA.

Classified Ads relative to bees and beekeeping are open to all, whether or not you are an OSBA member.

To place a classified ad on the website, please contact the webkeeper at orsbawebmaster@gmail.com with your name, contact e-mail and phone, name of item(s), photo(s), description, price, and location. Members of OSBA receive four free ads per year; additional ads plus ads for nonmembers are $10 per ad and run for 30 days. To pay for ads by credit/debit card or a PayPal account:

Classified Ad

To place a classified ad in the OSBA newsletter, please contact the editor at osba.newsletter@gmail.com with details; newsletter ads are $3 for members/$5 for nonmembers per issue for up to 30 words.

We are adding this option in the near future. Also consider contacting a nearby Affiliated Association to find any of their members who may be available.

See: Oregon State Beekeepers Association Affiliation.

Please note that this applies to events held by affiliated regional associations only and that events must be announced prior in media such as newsletter or website. The information needed for making the request is, as follows: Date, times, and place of event, AND the name, title, email, and phone number of the person in charge of the facility. With this information, the affiliated association would then contact Harry Vanderpool at shallotman@yahoo.com to receive the certificate.

File a report at How to Report a Suspected Pesticide-Related Bee Kill, and do so as soon as possible.

Start with your local farmers market, fruit stand, and classified ads. In addition, a number of beekeepers have roadside stands and signs posted when honey is available.

First, remove the stinger if it is still stuck in your skin. Take care scrape the sting site with your fingernail or a credit card rather than use tweezers to remove the sting; this helps avoid pumping additional venom from the attached venom sac. The sooner the sting is removed this way, the lesser will be the reaction. Take a look at More About Bees and Avoiding Stings and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, website, where you will find a comprehensive guide to the treatment of stings.

Check the OSBA Swarm Call List for someone in or near your area. Also see information about Affiliated Associations, many of which have swarm call lists of their own.

Beekeepers interested in doing removals are listed at: orsba.org/bee-removal. Also consider checking with a regional association in your area for members who are skilled in cut outs and removals.

Keeping bees is a honor, one that requires a solid commitment in time and care. Do searches online; spend time with some of the resources on this and other websites. Find resources in print and in people who know bees and may be willing to provide guidance. Consider joining a local beekeepers association such as the Affiliated Associations in Oregon, which offer classes and other events for beekeepers at all levels. Attend conferences. Ask questions. Look into participating in a master beekeeper program, e.g., the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program. And enjoy the ongoing learning!

Consider joining a local beekeepers association! Many offer opportunities for asking questions during monthly meetings as well as finding long-experienced beekeepers interested in supporting the work of beekeepers at all levels. The Oregon Master Beekeeper Program also assigns mentors to students enrolled in the Apprentice portion of the program.

Consider attending a meeting of one of OSBA’s affiliated regional associations. Meeting times and locations are available HERE.

Consider doing a “google” search for the materials of interest. You might also check back later as we are working on adding classified ads to the website at this time.

From OSU: The first thing that’s important to note is that bumble bees, unlike honey bees, are not perennial. The colonies typically start in March or April with a single queen, and then disband beginning in late July through to the end of August (depending on the species; one of the first species to finish has a distinctive orange band on its back).

Also, unlike yellow jackets, bumble bees are not defensive unless directly disturbed (i.e., direct disturbance at the entrance of the colony). So, if you simply put some lawn flags around where the bees are going in and out, and let kids and others know not to disturb the bees, the risk of stinging is very low.

If you feel that the risk is too high, consider relocating the colony—a few beekeepers who do removals are listed at: orsba.org/bee-removal. You may also choose to kill the colony with a professional pest control operator.

Resources available through the Oregon Residential Beekeeping program will be posted when they become available. In the meantime, contact the Regional Representative for your area to discuss the issue and consider options.

Resources available through the Oregon Residential Beekeeping program will be posted when they become available. In the meantime, contact the Regional Representative for your area to discuss the issue and consider options.

To review the relative harm posed to bees by a number of pesticides, see: How to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Pesticides.

There are many reasons colonies die, but often these days the Varroa mite is involved. Did you monitor Varroa levels and maintain them at an “acceptable” level? This is immensely important because the mites can not only pave the way to the death of your colony but also serve as “mite bombs” that impact nearby colonies. See: Why Did My Honey Bees Die? (pdf)

Why Did My Bees Die?:

See also: Keep Bees Alive (pdf)

We do not know of any one particular reason for the decline of honey bees. A number of factors can make bees more vulnerable and weaken their immune systems, factors that include pests and pathogens, poor nutrition because of the lack of a diversity of pollen from appropriate plants, monocultures, insecticides, pollution, some beekeeping practices, and climate change. For an overview with more information on Honey Bee Pathogens, see Montana State University Pollinator Center/Flenniken Lab:

We can all help the bees. Some suggestions are provided by the Bee Informed Partnership as well as in some resources available HERE. See also Marla Spivak’s TED Talk Why Bees Are Disappearing:

A number of plantings for pollinators are listed under Pollinator Resources.

You are welcome to have your property listed HERE. Responding beekeepers could then contact you for more information. You might also place a request on the OSBA Forum. In addition, consider contacting the president of a regional beekeepers association and/or attending one of their meetings to meet interested beekeepers. Contact and meeting information is available HERE.

Your interest in setting up a hive for honey bees to use without being involved, unfortunately, has the potential for much harm. There are a number of reasons for this—among which is the care needed to manage pests and diseases, to avoid starvation during dearth, to build up in such a way that they can gather resources to survive winter—the list is long and relates not only to the survival of the honey bees but also to that of native bees. Some pests/diseases of honey bees also transfer to native bees. And we now know that they move throughout the habitat astonishingly quickly—so, you have the potential to harm the native bees you are inviting onto your property as well as infecting neighboring honey bee colonies that may be being well managed because of what the bees in an untended hive may carry with them as they travel considerable distances. Consider becoming a beekeeper! And, if not now, then invite a good keeper of bees to manage the hive for you should you place one there.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) was a phenomenon that was reported in 2006, 2007, and 2008 in honey bee colonies across the United States and other parts of the world. The symptoms reported for CCD included the disappearance of majority of the worker bees in a colony leaving behind the queen, ample honey stores, and few young bees. Since 2009, the reports of CCD have declined drastically and are rare, but significant colony losses (averaging 30% each year) continue to be reported that are attributed to multiple factors (Varroa mites, viruses, poor nutrition, poor queen quality, pesticide exposure, etc.). One unproven theory that was prevalent during 2006-2007 was that the cell phone radiation was responsible for bee declines, as cell radiation may interfere with navigation of bees. This theory was debunked, as honey bees use sun compass and landmarks for navigation/orientation, and cell phones cannot interfere with their orientation/navigation. Currently, there is no evidence that cell phone radiation affects bee health.

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You might start with some of the resources provided HERE.

Yes. Consider sending your queries to Ask a Beekeeper or posing on the OSBA Forum. The email address for Ask a Beekeeper and link to the Forum are referenced HERE.

The Oregon State Beekeepers Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the well-being of honey bees and to the fields of beekeeping, apiculture, research, and education. Members of the OSBA are a diverse bunch of individuals who share a fascination for the honey bee and its workings. We range from full-time beekeepers and pollinators with thousands of hives to hobbyists involved in back-yard beekeeping. For information on benefits of membership and how to join us, see: Membership.

The Oregon Master Beekeeper Program represents a cooperative effort between Oregon State University Extension and the Oregon State Beekeepers Association to contribute to both the health of honey bee colonies and the integrity of the practice of beekeeping throughout the region. For more information, go HERE!

The premise behind House Bill 2653 is that well-educated beekeepers, community members, and government officials are key to ensuring the stability of pollinator populations in urban areas. In recognition of the importance of education, HB 2653 requires the Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service to produce written Best Practices Guidelines that detail the best practices for residential beekeeping. When applied, these practices are meant to maximize the benefits of beekeeping, reduce the risk of nuisance, and provide clear guidance on how to deal with nuisance issues if they arise. Learn more at: Oregon’s Residential Beekeeping Law. The written guidelines for best practices for residential beekeeping are at: Residential Beekeeping Best-practice guidelines for nuisance-free beekeeping in Oregon.

Initiated in 2017, the Oregon Bee Project is a cooperative effort between the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), the Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), and a diverse set of stakeholders who are actively engaged in caring for our bees. Together these collaborators and supporters are launching several initiatives to maintain and enhance bee health in Oregon. The Oregon Bee Project has a mission of: “Bringing together Oregonians around a science-based strategy for protecting and promoting wild and managed bees through education, pollinator-friendly practices, and research.” Find out about the program HERE!

The Oregon Bee Atlas, a part of the Oregon Bee Project, is an initiative of Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon State University Pollinator Health Program, and Oregon State Arthropod Collection. The work is currently supported by generous contributions from the FFAR Pollinator Health Fund, GloryBee, and the Oregon State Beekeepers Association. To learn about the project, go HERE.