Beekeeping Made Easy

Honeybees reproduce by dividing their colony of tens of thousands of bees in half. One half stays in the hive, and the other half (the swarm) needs to find a new home. When swarming, honeybees are harmless, but we understand it can be an overwhelming experience for most homeowners.

MCBA has a few members who respond to swarm calls. Send us your phone number, address of the swarm, and a photo or video of the bees, along with other info like "they are under the eves of my house" or "they are hanging in a clump, 5' up, on my apple tree". 

We cannot guarantee that a beekeeper will come out and handle the situation, as we are all volunteer hobbyists. However, we are a great first step to contact, as many exterminators will not handle honeybees without contacting a beekeeper first. 

For the most part, we only handle honeybees that are not settled in structures. We do not respond to insects that are not honeybees, but hey, send us a picture anyway and we will let you know how to best move forward with your bee issues. 

MCBA is not responsible for the conduct of beekeepers responding/not responding to swarm calls, or damage caused by the removal of bees, or damage caused by the bees themselves. We are a social group, not a business. 

MCBA club meetings are a friendly and accepting place to learn and explore the beekeeping world. We are all new ourselves (even beeks with 20 years experience will tell you they are still learning). Everyone starts somewhere, and attending an MCBA is a great place to start. If you live in Monroe County PA, chances are, someone at the meeting is your neighbor, and would be happy to offer advice.

My biggest bit of advice is to NOT buy bees until you have attended some meetings, or have taken a beekeeping course. Honeybees are livestock.. You wouldn't buy a cow without knowing how to take care of a cow. 

There are many decisions that need to be considered and made before buying bees, so please, be patient and educate before diving in. Apiary location and size, hive style and configuration, size and quantity of frames, foundation or foundationless, nuc or package, local or southern, honeybee subspecies, mite mitigation plan, and feeding methods are just a few of the nuanced decisions to be made before getting a colony of live bees to take care of. 

I don't say all this to discourage you... I just want to set the expectations appropriately. You can have the answers to all these questions with just a day of research or an online beginner beekeeping course. Beekeeping is fun and easy, but just know that the first toolbox you need to fill as a beekeeper is your mental toolbox.  

As a club, no we do not sell honey. However, if you are looking for more than a few pounds of honey or for a wholesale vendor, please attend a meeting and let us know. Someone in attendance has the sweet stuff you are looking for.