Author: David Ford

Wayne Hughes will be speaking on the topic of treatment-free beekeeping. Wayne is a UGA Certified Beekeeper and has kept bees since 2010 and has been successfully treatment free for the entire duration! He is the owner of the family-run Sweet Harmony Apiaries in Marietta, Georgia, where they do not use any chemicals in their hives.

He is a jack of all trades, holding degrees in Music and Information Technology, and spent the formative years of his life working in the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC trades.

After much study, research, and field trials, he used his skills from the HVAC trade to understand beehive thermodynamics and developed a patent pending hive design. This design leverages biomimicry to provide optimum conditions for honeybees as well as being lightweight, easy to manipulate, pest resistant, and maximizes honey yields.

Please join us at our next EPBA meeting on MARCH 2, 2026 with our Guest speaker Butch Shelton. 

Butch will be speaking about Spring management for growing bees and having a great honey harvest.  Butch is a Certified Beekeeper, owner of B&A Bee’s in Cumming and has been keeping and teaching about bees for over 30 years.

Anne Frey with Betterbee will be our guest speaker and she will be speaking on Sustainable Beekeeping with Double Nucs.

Anne lives in Greenwich, NY, and works as Betterbee’s Head Beekeeper, teacher, and videographer (catch her on Betterbee’s YouTube channel!). She first got bees in 1989 while getting a Biology degree, and like most of us, she was a “bee-haver” for just a few years, until she became a member of the local beekeeping club (the Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association, or SABA), where she learned a lot from the other members and through club activities.

Anne worked her way up through the Club, becoming invaluable to its operation and leading the Annual Seminar and Bee School for many years. Beekeeping associations are so valuable to us because of the arranged speakers and events, but also because of the networking, support, and mentoring that comes about when people find a group near them. Anne became an EAS Master Beekeeper in 2002 and is still learning to this day. In her limited spare time, she reads sci-fi and rides her bike long distances.

Billy Farmer with Billy’s Bees will be talking about getting your bees ready for the spring band honey production.

Dan Long will be talking about Observation Hives. These hives are a great educational tool and allows for a close up inspection without disturbing a colony.

Our Meeting topic will be Varroa Mite Management and will include a video and discussion as we discuss different options for management and treatment. 

Varroa mites are a major concern for beekeepers because they are external parasites that weaken and shorten the lifespan of adult bees and developing brood by feeding on their fat body.

 Mites also act as vectors for viruses, like deformed wing virus, which can critically damage a colony by hindering flight and other essential functions. 

Unchecked, varroa mite infestations can lead to colony death, making them a primary threat to honeybee population world-wide.

Doors open at 6:30pm Meeting starts at 7:00pm

Seth Hill is a former beekeeper with Bob Binnie who now runs his own beekeeping operation, the Appalachian Bee Ranch. Seth’s extensive experience at Blue Ridge Honey Company has allowed him to turn a sideline business in to a commercial operation. Seth will be speaking on getting your bee’s ready for winter. Now is the time to get that colony in position to be the best it can be to overwinter for a good start in the spring.

Sheryl Brousseau – Senior Judge, American Honey Show Training Council (AHSTC), Master Beekeeper, President Ridge Beekeepers Assn.

Sheryl Brousseau, Senior Honey Judge, AHSTC, entered the field of Honey Show judging and competing in 2018, and has judged honey shows in SC, GA, NC, TN, and KY. Not only does she enjoy judging honey shows and teaching others how to prepare show entries, she is a top honey show competitor and a GBA multi-champion with numerous wins including best in show and sweepstakes awards. 

Sheryl is a certified SC Master Beekeeper, and the club President of Ridge Beekeepers Association in Edgefield County SC, where she enjoys speaking at meetings, and mentoring new beekeepers.  Additionally, she is an expert in processing and preparing products of the hive, and the SC Honey regulations.

Brutz English, Master Beekeeper

     Brutz got into beekeeping in 2009. He is the owner of Liberty Hill Honey Company LLC. He holds a Commercial Apiary license as well as a Seasonal Honey Producer license from the Georgia Department of Agriculture.  Brutz has served for over a decade on the Georgia Beekeepers Association Board of Directors, and he is active in several local bee clubs in the middle Georgia area. Brutz is a former President of both the Henry County Beekeepers Association and the Potato Creek Beekeepers Club.  In 2017, he was honored by the GBA as Georgia Beekeeper of the Year.
     Brutz first attended the Young Harris-UGA Beekeeping Institute in 2010.  He earned his Welsh Honey Judge certification 2012, his Master Beekeeper certification in 2016, and his Senior Welsh Honey Judge Certification in 2017. In 2018 he was appointed Director of the Welsh Honey Judge Training & Certification Program at the Young Harris-UGA Beekeeping Institute.
     Brutz is a founding member and the current President of the American Honey Show Training Council. He travels across the United States, and internationally, promoting and judging honey shows. He has judged more than fifty (50) state, national, and international level honey shows, including Eastern Apicultural Society, Heartland Apicultural Society, Hive Life Conference, the Institute of Northern Ireland Beekeepers Honey Show, the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society Honey Show, and the Great Yorkshire Honey Show.

Linda Tillman will be our June guest speaker.

Linda is a retired clinical psychologist who has kept bees since 2006. She earned her Master Beekeeper in 2010, was President of GBA from 2016 – 2020, and was named GBA Beekeeper of the Year in 2020. Linda is a backyard beekeeper with a blog read by people all over the world (www.beekeeperlinda.com) She also has a YouTube channel @lindatsbees where she posts videos about beekeeping and cooking with honey. When she is not keeping bees, she is a grandmother, bread baker, quilter, and knitter. She also raises chickens.