The NJBA Summer Picnic / Auction is back!
Saturday August 9, 2025 (Rain or Shine): The picnic and auction of bee-related paraphernalia is at Bob Hughes home in Yardville (Mercer County). If you have beekeeping related items for the auction, please email Doris Morgan (doriskmorgan@comcast.net). NJBA receives of commission of 15% of the gross sales.
Check-In is from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. with coffee and goodies.
The auction starts at 9:00 a.m.
Cost per person:
Registration and payment is online only, click "REGISTER" to the left of this screen. Enter your email address, then choose the attendee type. To register children, choose the Invoice Me option at the end of the adult registration, then click NEW REGISTRATION, click NEXT keeping the same email address as before, choose the appropriate registration for your guest, fill in their info (but not their email address) and choose Invoice Me. After you entered all the attendees in your group, click the Balance due in the bottom right of the screen to make your payment online.
A few more things ...
Basic Beekeeping is a complete three-day course in beekeeping to be held September 6 and 13, 2025 from 8:30am-4:00pm with a Field Day following on a date TBD. It is offered by the Northwest New Jersey Beekeepers Association and overseen by Cornell Certified Master Beekeeper Jean Miller. Class materials are based on the curriculum developed by EAS Certified Master Beekeeper Landi Simone. Successful completion of this class fulfills the legal education requirement to keep bees in NJ.
Class size is limited to 40 students. NJBA scholarship is available. Click for details. Attendees must be 14 years or older.
Classroom topics covered on Days 1 and 2 include:
Day 3, Field Day, takes place in at the club’s apiary located near (but not exactly at) 70 Valley Crest Road, Lebanon, NJ. The coordinates for the apiary are 40°37'13.3"N 74°52'15.5"W., and provides students with an introduction to working with the bees. Students will have the experience of opening and inspecting a beehive themselves and obtain hands-on lessons in recognizing the various components of a hive and colony as well as inspection basics such as smoker lighting, protective gear, and correct use of the hive tool.
A continental breakfast and afternoon snack is included in both days of classroom instruction. Students should bring a bagged lunch or plan on eating lunch at various area restaurants. Students will have access to all slides presented during class as well as supplementary class materials. Students will also be able to purchase equipment at class and be given resources for purchasing bees for installation the following spring.
Jean Miller is a Cornell Certified Master Beekeeper and a Rutgers Certified Master Gardener. Prior to motherhood she was an engineer in the food industry. She also was a substitute teacher for 20 years in the Flemington area and has been keeping bees for about a decade. Additional instructors include Jim McCauley, past president of NWNJBA; Brandon Stoneking, NWNJBA First VP; Mim and Tim Dunne, beekeepers for over 40 years; Grant Stiles, former NJ State Apiarist and owner of Stiles Apiaries; and current NJ State Apiarist Meghan McConnell. Additional assistance in the apiary will come from Bob Kloss, EAS Master Beekeeper; and Laura Joiner, NWNJBA Outreach Co-Chair.
Tuition: $130 for 2 days of class and 1 field day.
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The New Jersey Beekeepers Association is a 501(c)5 not-for-profit organization. 704 Kline Place, Bridgewater, NJ 08807-3135
