Events - Month View

MDBA Beekeeping Classes for members
For new beekeepers and 1- 2 year beekeepers
Beginner Beekeeping Class One - 2.5 hour class - in person
- for new beekeepers who joined in 2024, 2025 and have no hives or have hives. This class is useful to new beekeepers (1 - 2 years) who have bees, lost bees, and need more basic information.
We will discuss, show, and demonstrate PPE’s (personal protection equipment) hive components, hive tools, varroa test equipment,, apiary considerations, and resources.
We will also spend time answering your questions.
MDBA Beekeepers who are in the CA Master Beekeeping program will be your teachers.
If you need to cancel please do so before the cut off date and time. This will allow other members to fill your spot.
Register and pay for the class on the event calendar.. Class size limited to 10. No walk-ins. Class will be held in a garage. Wear warm clothing/layers

Hello East Cluster, We invite you to join us for a hive dive at our Apiary in Antioch on Saturday, March 1st, from 2 pm to 4 pm. Please bring your protective gear, including suits, veils, gloves, and boots, to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. Additionally, feel free to bring any beekeeping equipment or items you‘d like to discuss or demonstrate during the event. We look forward to seeing you there! Best regards, Jesse Chavez

Monthly Zoom Chat and Q & A for All New Beekeepers - just starting in 2025, or started in 2024 - 2023 This is a meeting to bring your questions, concerns, and observations about your colonies:varroa mite treatment, spring colony growth, swarming etc. It’s also a place for brand new beekeepers to ask questions about MDBA and how to start beekeeping, equipment questions or any other questions! - any topics or questions are welcome! There will be beekeepers from your area clusters, area coordinators, and MDBA board members to help answer your questions.

Join other Central Cluster members for an online conversation about what we‘re doing and seeing in our colonies this month.

Registration is required for our March General Meeting and Spring BBQ dinner. Members and their immediate families are welcome!

The BBQ dinner and sides will be provided by Buckhorn Grill, and desserts from Costco! This will be an opportunity to get to know more members. Please bring a beverage or bottle of your choice to share with the table. We provide lemonade and water.
Members are asked to pay a modest, non-deductible amount to help defray the cost of the dinner: $10 per MDBA member and $4 per family member.



REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE ON MARCH 11TH, TUESDAY AT 11PM.

Raffle Tickets will be sold at the door: $2 per ticket, 3 for $5, 6 for $10

We hope you and your family will join us!
5pm: join us for set up
6pm: BBQ dinner begins
7pm: program and mini raffle
9pm: please help us clean up afterwards








Registration and payment is required for our March General Meeting and Spring BBQ dinner. Members and their immediate families are wecome!
The BBQ dinner and sides are provided by Buckhorn Grill and desserts are form Costco.
This is a great opportunity to get to know more members and have some fun.
Please bring a beverage or bottle of your choice to share with your table - we provide lemondade and water.
Members are asked to pay a modest, non-deductable amount to help defray the cost of the dinner: $10 per MDBA member and $4 per family member.
REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE FOR THE MEETING ON MARCH 11TH, TUESDAY AT 11PM
Raffle tickets will be sold at the door: $2 each, $5 for 3, $10 for 6

We hope you and your family will join us for our Spring BBQ!

5pm join us to help set up
6pm BBQ dinner starts
7pm Guest Speaker and Mini Raffle
9pm help us clean up!

MDBA Beekeeping Classes for members
For new beekeepers and 1- 2 year beekeepers
Beginner Beekeeping Class One - 2.5 hour class - in person
- for new beekeepers who joined in 2024, 2025 and have no hives or have hives. This class is useful to new beekeepers (1 - 2 years) who have bees, lost bees, and need more basic information.
We will discuss, show, and demonstrate PPE’s (personal protection equipment) hive components, hive tools, varroa test equipment,, apiary considerations, and resources.
We will also spend time answering your questions.
MDBA Beekeepers who are in the CA Master Beekeeping program will be your teachers.
If you need to cancel please do so before the cut off date and time. This will allow other members to fill your spot.
Register and pay for the class on the event calendar.. Class size limited to 10. No walk-ins. Class will be held in a garage. Wear warm clothing/layers

“Inspecting Colonies, Queen Marking Practice, and Loading an Observation Hive” Registration and location information available on the MDBA Event Calendar. Thanks to everyone who made it out to last month’s hive dive! Member Education invites you to participate in our second in-person Beehive Deep Dive and Learn of 2025 on Saturday, March 15th from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at the Lafayette Community Garden MDBA Apiary. Weather permitting, we’ll do the following hands-on activities: - Open a number of colonies and identify key features - Perform several inspections, including mite checks - Practice marking queens (on drones) - Demonstrate how to load and transport an observation hive At this month’s hive dive we’ll have the opportunity to get more hands on by having small groups open and inspect several colonies. We’ll discuss and demonstrate how to perform a basic inspection. Participants will be able to practice doing a mite check. For those who may be interesting in helping with Community Education events that involve MDBA observation hives, we’ll demonstrate how to load the observation hive and discuss best practices for transporting and caring for the bees. All members are welcome to participate in this hands-on hive dive. This is a great opportunity for both new and seasoned beekeepers to ask questions and share knowledge. Please register for the event on the MDBA Events Calendar and bring PPE (e.g. veil, gloves, etc.). Ian Thomas-Bignami, VP Member Education Please park at the far east end of the parking lot. If you have any problems or need any assistance, please email Ian Thomas-Bignami- vpmembered@diablobees.org

Monthly West Cluster Meeting: Discuss what‘ss going on in your hives, discuss actions and take questions.

MDBA Beekeeping Classes for members
For new beekeepers and 1- 2 year beekeepers
Beginner Beekeeping Class One - 2.5 hour class - in person
- for new beekeepers who joined in 2024, 2025 and have no hives or have hives. This class is useful to new beekeepers (1 - 2 years) who have bees, lost bees, and need more basic information.
We will discuss, show, and demonstrate PPE’s (personal protection equipment) hive components, hive tools, varroa test equipment,, apiary considerations, and resources.
We will also spend time answering your questions.
MDBA Beekeepers who are in the CA Master Beekeeping program will be your teachers.
If you need to cancel please do so before the cut off date and time. This will allow other members to fill your spot.
Register and pay for the class on the event calendar.. Class size limited to 10. No walk-ins. Class will be held in a garage. Wear warm clothing/layers

MDBA Beekeeping Classes for SOUTH CLUSTER MEMBERS ONLY
For new beekeepers and 1- 2 year beekeepers
Beginner Beekeeping Class One - 2.5 + hour class - in person
- for new beekeepers who joined in 2024, 2025 and have no hives or have hives. This class is useful to new beekeepers (1 - 2 years) who have bees, lost bees, and need more basic information.
We will discuss, show, and demonstrate PPE’s (personal protection equipment) hive components, hive tools, varroa test equipment,, apiary considerations, and resources.
We will also spend time answering your questions.
MDBA Beekeepers who are in the CA Master Beekeeping program will be your teachers.
If you need to cancel please do so before the cut off date and time. This will allow other members to fill your spot.
Register and pay for the class on the event calendar.. Class size limited to 10. No walk-ins. Class will be held in a garage. Wear warm clothing/layers

The 2025 MDBA Zoom Speaker Series continues this month with a presentation by honey bee educator Fredrick Dunn: “Honey Bee Drift and Other Behaviors Observed. Any Queen Will Do” Fred is a honey bee educator, focusing on backyard small-scale beekeeping. He shares about the intricacies of bee biology and management primarily through his YouTube Channel (Frederick Dunn) and podcast, The Way To Bee. He manages more than 40 colonies of honey bees on his rural Pennsylvania property, and has been obsessed with bees and their secrets since 2006. As a Cornell University Master Beekeeper, Fred uses scientific methods to improve management practices and evaluate tools and hive configurations across a broad spectrum. Photos and video sequences are at the core of his presentations. We hope you are able to join us on March 27th for Fred’s presentation. Please note the earlier, 6 p.m. start time.

If you are a new or seasoned beekeeper this is for you. Come use Ed‘s equipment to put together your Landgstroth boxes and frames. All you need to do is order and recieve the equipment prior to the day and bring it to Ed‘s house to use good equipment to make the assembly quick and easy.