Pinellas Beekeepers Association

03/24/2026

Today we had the pleasure of welcoming to our apiary, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving our community through environmental education, volunteer programs, and initiatives that promote cleanliness, sustainability, and civic pride.

This was truly a team effort in collaboration with , who organized a special day of teaching and hands-on education for these incredible volunteers. They give their time and energy to keep our community clean, green, and beautiful, and we were honored to share with them the importance of bees and beekeeping.

02/27/2026

Join us this spring at the 2026 Spring Fling Craft Show! 🌸🌷

We’re excited to invite you to visit PBA & at this beautiful community event hosted by the Creative Crafts Guild. Come enjoy a wonderful day filled with handmade crafts, local vendors, and spring vibes!

🗓 Saturday, March 14th
⏰ 9 AM – 3 PM
📍 The Lutheran Church of the Resurrection – Palm Harbor, FL

Bring your friends and family, shop local, and celebrate the season with us. We can’t wait to see you there! 💛🐝

12/09/2025

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the beekeepers who joined us for our annual Christmas celebration.
Thank you for your dedication, your support, and for making this community so special.
We wish you all the best this season and hope the coming year brings health, success, and many sweet harvests.
Thank you for being part of our beekeeping family! 🐝✨

11/18/2025

Don’t miss Pinellas Beekeepers Association meeting! 🌟

📅 When: Thursday, November 20th — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
📍 Where: 9200 113th St N, Seminole, FL 33772 (St. College - Seminole Campus)

We’re excited to welcome Allison Davis from Noble Nectar Apiaries. She will speak about humane bee removals and her organization The Bee Musketeers, highlighting safe hive relocation and pollinator education.

Come learn, connect, and grow with fellow beekeepers! We can’t wait to see you there! 🙌🍯

11/13/2025

A few snapshots from our second Pinellas Honey Fest! 🍯🐝

We are incredibly grateful to everyone for making this event such a success.
Thank you for supporting our local beekeepers and celebrating the sweet work of the bees with us!

See you at the next Honey Fest!

10/24/2025

10 YEARS OF PURE PASSION FOR THE BEES 🐝

We celebrate a decade of hard work, learning, and unity.
Thank you to our amazing President for keeping us together, and to all the volunteers who have helped this dream grow with love and dedication.

Bees remind us that strength lies in unity, and that every small effort can create something truly sweet. 🍯

Happy 10th Anniversary to our incredible hive! 💛🐝

10/24/2025

A Huge Success at Our Black Jar Honey Contest 🍯

Yesterday we held an amazing monthly meeting featuring our much-anticipated Black Jar Honey Contest, and it was a complete success!

A heartfelt thank-you to Ian Withe, Becky Dineen, and the entire team for their dedication, hard work, and outstanding organization.

Attendees enjoyed sampling 38 different honeys, all harvested by our talented local beekeepers. It was fascinating to see how, without labels, many were able to identify the floral source, season, and other unique characteristics simply from the color, aroma, and taste of each honey.

Congratulations to our winners:
1️⃣ Seminole Bee Farms – First Place
2️⃣ Adam and Ellie Wiercioch– Second Place
3️⃣ Collett Dilley – Third Place

Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this event a true celebration of local beekeeping! 🐝💛

https://pinellasbeekeepers.buzz/

10/19/2025

🍯 PBA Black Jar Honey Contest! 🍯

Join us for our fun blind honey tasting at the next PBA Monthly Meeting – Oct 23 at SPC! 🐝
Bring your best honey and see how it stacks up when judged only by flavor!

🏆 Winners get bragging rights and the 1st place entry moves on to the Florida State Beekeepers Black Jar Contest!

📅 Entry deadline: Oct 22
📍 Event: Oct 23 at St. Petersburg College

Let’s taste, vote, and celebrate our amazing local honey! 🍯💛

09/26/2025

What a wonderful general monthly meeting we had yesterday, with over 80 guests in attendance!

A special thank you to Stephanie Ramthun for her incredible presentation on the benefits of bee venom 🐝💛.

We are also so grateful to Troop 219 for joining us and for their amazing work transforming our storage container 🙌.

And a heartfelt thanks to Derek Lewis for his constant love and dedication to our association, so many local beekeepers have grown and learned thanks to his knowledge and guidance.

Thank you all for being part of our monthly meeting. We can’t wait to see you this Saturday for our Education & Training Day!

09/25/2025

We’re excited to welcome Stephanie Ramthun – Apitherapy!

Stephanie is a beekeeper and co-founder of Tampa Bees, a local initiative focused on sustainable beekeeping and education. She will be speaking about apitherapy and sharing her knowledge about the benefits of bees and their products. Join our monthly meeting to learn more! 🍯✨
TAMPA BEES

09/24/2025

Today we recognize Maura Scanlon, SPC professor and Master Beekeeper, for her amazing dedication to bees and our community. 🐝

Through her work with the Pinellas Beekeepers Association, Maura helps create opportunities for learning, connection, and growth in beekeeping. We are grateful for all she does! 💛

Today's spotlight is Maura Scanlon, science professor and SPC’s resident beekeeper!

For nearly 13 years, Maura has been inspiring students through courses in Environmental Science and Biology and guiding them through internships. But her impact goes far beyond the classroom.

One of the things Maura loves most about SPC is the freedom to explore special topics, which led her to an unexpected journey: beekeeping.

Maura dove into the world of bees, including starting an apiary at the St. Petersburg College Seminole Campus which now has 30 hives where students and the community have a unique opportunity to learn about pollinators, sustainability and science, and maybe enjoy fresh honey!

Maura has even become a Master Beekeeper through the University of Florida's rigorous five-year certification program. She’s a board member of the Pinellas Beekeepers Association, which hosts monthly meetings with over 100 attendees on the Seminole Campus, and offers hands-on educational days where the community can suit up and experience beekeeping firsthand. Her passion has even inspired some of her students to become beekeepers.

“Beekeeping has opened a lot of doors for me professionally and allowed me to share my love of bees with my students,” she said. “It connects me to other campuses and colleges.”

Thanks, Maura! 🐝