National Honey Bee Day

August 16, 2014

The 2014 National Honey Bee Day Theme:

"Sustainable Gardening

Begins with Honey Bees"

Thank you to Charles Brenig for submitting the theme,

and his continued work in expanding beekeeping in suburbia.  

The 2014 theme was selected for its broad message to the public. In years past, much of the bee industry has focused on beekeeping in regards to agriculture and farming. While the bee industry is vital to large agriculture that feeds much of the world, reality is that 98% of all who keep bees are backyard beekeepers. Most of them are in towns, cities, suburban areas, and not on traditional farms.

Concerned citizens are increasingly getting involved as the plight of the honey bees becomes better understood. Many municipalities and townships are removing anti-beekeeping laws and restrictive codes. Many now know that honey bees are the pollinators of backyard gardens, and are vital for the overall health of the environment. Beekeeping is not just about large farms and mono-agriculture.  

We encourage groups participating in National Honey Bee Day activities to use the 2014 message in their activities. It has wide appeal for gardening groups, homeowners, schools, and nature lovers invbolved with birds, butterflies, etc.

With the "Sustainable Gardening Begins with Honey Bees, we

suggest the following for participants to consider:

Open House Programs - Inviting the public to visit a bee yard, with

the ability to hold a frame of bees is probably the most powerful

experience you can offer in getting folks interested in beekeeping. 

Any association or beekeeper can locally advertise and host potential

new beekeepers for a visit.

Beginner Programs - A short presentation perhaps at a environmental

center allows new potential beekeepers to get the basic information

(and interest) needed to get started.

The 2014 theme allows bee associations to sign up new members, beekeepers to get others involved, sell honey, and educate the public

on beekeeping, and even inform local politicians as to why beekeeping

is so important. While we do not mandate National Honey Bee Day participants to use the yearly selected themes, we do ask that you

consider incorporating the overall message into your program.

The National Honey Bee Day program is not about beekeepers, it is

about educating the public, expanding the bee industry, and building

bridges for the future. And we hope the 2014 NHBD theme allows you

to accomplish that goal. Thank you.

Order your National Honey Bee

Day Bumper Sticker. (Click Here)

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Missed National Honey Bee Day 2013? Visiting this site for the first time? Make plans for National Honey Bee Day 2014 on August 16th.

We Welcome You To The

National Honey Bee Day Website.

The primary goals of the National Honey Bee Day Program include:

1) Promotion and advancement of beekeeping.

2) Educate the public about honey bees and beekeeping.

3) Make the public aware of environmental concerns as they effect honey bees.

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Important Message to Beekeepers,

Bee Groups, and the Public:

While great strides have been made in recent years in

getting ordinances passed allowing beekeeping once

again in many parts of the country, there are also ongoing

efforts in some locations trying to ban or severly restrict beekeeping elsewhere. Building support within your own

community is as important as ever in the bee industry.

Invite key local politicians such as the mayor, township supervisors, zoning board members, and state politicians

to your National Honey Bee Day event. Build bridges, and

connect with others who could possibly help in the future.

The bee industry, and your local bee community, can benefit greatly from connecting with others and getting more

educated in beekeeping.

                   Get Involved. Be proactive...not reactive!

The National Honey Bee Day program started with a simple concept. Bring together beekeepers, bee associations, as well as other interested groups to connect with the communities to advance beekeeping. By working together and harnessing the efforts that so many already accomplish, and using a united effort one day a year, the rewards and message is magnified many times over. We encourage bee associations, individuals, and other groups to get involved. The program is free and open to all.

Sponsor and Contributors

The National Honey Bee Day program operates and is funded by the generosity of our sponsors and contributors. Please check out our sponsors page, and patronize the businesses that are helping to make this program a success all across the country.

Latest addition to the website:

What NOT to do if you find honey bees. See the video link on the News and Events page. click here. Please help save the honey bees.

SEEKING LOGO ARTWORK!

PennApic and the National Honey Bee Day program is seeking submissions for logo artwork and graphics to be used for marketing and promotional use. We would like to support an inspiring graphic artist or individual who would like to add to their portfolio by helping out a nonprofit association while getting national exposure. We would like something that is unique, easily recognizable, and used exclusively by PennApic and the NHBD program. If this interests you, please contact me by clicking here. Thank you.   

The honey bee industry needs your help and support. Some

of the pages listed on this website are intended to

educate the public on issues,

and steps we can take to help the honey bee. National Honey Bee Day may be one day per year, but the care of the environment to which the bees reside, takes a year long commitment. We encourage

all to become good stewards of the environment through practical and commonsense approaches.

All authorized programs

and fund raising efforts

are listed on this site. If

you have questions

about a particular program

or questionable fund

raising, please notify

us as soon as possible.

Thank you. 

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We are hard at work planning the next National Honey

Bee Day program scheduled for August 16, 2014

Beekeepers: Please visit the 2014 participants page. If you do

not see your bee association listed, please contact your

association officers. If you have no association in your

area, we encourage individuals to get involved. If you or

your association wants to host a National Honey Bee Day

program, click here.

Friends of Honey Bees: If you are not a beekeeper, please

support the closest bee association or participating National

Honey Bee Day program. We encourage you to support local

agriculture markets, and enjoy local honey varietals. Please

consider making a donation to the overall NHBD program. Your contributions will support programs by allowing us to provide

educational material to schools, environmental centers, and

programs across the country.

This website has information on getting started in bees,

how homeowners can help the bees, and information useful

for giving a bee talk to a classroom or group of visitors.

Please feel free to use any of the information. It is posted

for your use and benefit.

The National Honey Bee Day program operates and is administered under the nonprofit

listing and status of Pennsylvania Apiculture Inc., adhering to all laws and guidelines

of a 501c and filed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The National Honey Bee Day program is always striving to build upon the existing

program and expand our outreach while moving forward. We value feedback and

constructive comments. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any suggestions

or questions.

Since 9-24-10