As this website grows, we will send updates through the Michigan Beekeepers Association mailing list.  Sign up for the MBA mailing list.

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development COVID-19 Letter to Beekeepers

Getting started with beekeeping

• Thinking about becoming a beekeeper?
• Starting and Keeping Bees in Michigan: Rules and Regulations
• List of Recommended Resources for Beekeepers

Beekeeping resources 

• List of Recommended Resources for Beekeepers
• Michigan Beekeeping Rules and Regulations
  • Rules and regulations for selling honey in Michigan
• How to Help Your City Change Regulations about Bees
• Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMPs) for the Care of Farm Animals
• Problem and Unwanted Bees
• What to do if you suspect your honey bee colonies were damaged by pesticides
• List of labs that will test honey for pesticides
• Changes in Bee Antibiotic Regulations
• Michigan Beekeepers Association
• Learn about and follow the Michigan Sentinel Apiary Project
• Northern Bee Network (local queens and nucs)
• Pollinator policy advocacy resources
• Varroa Related Resources
  • Why Did My Honey Bees Die?
  • Varroa Mite Monitoring
  • Keeping Your Bees Safe from the Varroa Mite
  • Towards Treatment Free Beekeeping
• Getting started with beekeeping
  • Lighting a smoker
  • Establishing a honey bee colony: success in the first year
  • Maximizing wax production on new equipment
• Swarms and queens
  • Swarms biology and control in Northern states
  • Help! I need a queen!
• This is going to be the year - beekeepers year chart
• Feeding honey bees
• Help! My Colony has Ants!
• Diagnosing and treating American Foulbrood in honey bee Colonies
• Sustainable beekeeping using late season nucs
• Dr. Meghan Milbrath's American Bee Journal Beekeeping Basics Column
  • January 2020 - The Greatest Generation: Winter Bees
  • February 2020 - Do my Honey Bees Need a Veterinarian?
  • March 2020 - Dealing with Deadouts
  • April 2020 - Don’t be Surprised by Swarms
  • June 2020 - Drawn Comb is Gold
  • July 2020 - Getting Good Help
  • August 2020 - Help I need a Queen!

Webinars and videos

• MSU Apiculture Extension webinars and videos 
• Wild Spartans: All About Honey Bees with with Ana Heck - 4-H Environmental & Outdoor Education
• Ag Around Michigan: Beekeeping with Ana Heck (4-H)
• Cabin Fever Conversations: Honey bees with Ana Heck

MSU Apiculture social media and blog

• Michigan State University Honey Bees Facebook Page
• Heroes to Hives Facebook Page
• Michigan Pollinator Initiative Facebook Page
• MSU Bee Blog

Resources on dealing with farm stress

• Resources on managing farm stress from MSU Extension
• Farm State of Mind campaign to raise mental health awareness among the farming community 

Resources for commercial beekeepers

• Commercial beekeeper monitoring program with the Bee Informed Partnership
• Financial and management guides from MSU Extension
• Business resources for beekeepers from Cornell University
• Examples of pollination contracts

Please submit beekeeping questions through the Ask Extension.