Author: David Ford

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.

Chris Jones is a Certified Beekeeper who has been keeping bees for over 10 years. He has served as VP of Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association and organized their annual Beekeeping Short Course during that time. 

Chris is also a Certified Welsh Honey Judge and currently judges in regional and national honey shows.  He owns Double Bee Honey, LLC which offers honey and other hive related products.

John will be focusing on the process of splitting colonies into nucs—a technique he has found incredibly effective in managing hive growth and sustainability.

John Land is a beekeeper & Hive Management Specialist who is originally from Jacksonville, Florida, who then moved to Clayton, Georgia, 14 years ago in search of new opportunities and a fresh start. Six years ago, he joined the team at Blue Ridge Honey Company, working under Bob Binnie.  Believe it or not but at the time he knew nothing about honey bees and had no particular interest in them; he was simply looking for a better job.

Little did he know, beekeeping would become a passion and a central part of his life!

Over the years, John has gained invaluable hands-on experience in hive management, honey production, and colony health. His journey from a complete novice to an experienced beekeeper has been both challenging and rewarding and he is excited to share some of what he has learned with us.

Bob Binnie with Blue Ridge Honey Company will be our guest speaker and will be talking about the Chemistry of Honey Processing.

Bob Binnie, along with his wife Suzette, owns Blue Ridge Honey Co. in Lakemont, Georgia, operating 2000 colonies along with a sizable honey packing operation. Voted “Beekeeper Of The Year” by the Georgia Beekeepers Association in 2003 Bob has been involved in commercial beekeeping for nearly four decades.

Ian Collins, a UGA Graduate Research Assistant in the Honey bee lab under Dr. Lewis Bartlett. He will be talking about honeybees and one of their pests, the small hive beetle. He will be providing the latest on his research on deterring small hive beetle infestations. 

Master Beekeeper, Olivia Menard talks about getting ready for the upcoming season and how to split hives.