Mount Baker Beekeepers Association is a group of hobbyist and sideliner beekeepers whose purpose is to promote the management of and interest in honeybees for honey production and pollination. The club was founded in 1971 by concerned beekeepers from Whatcom and Skagit Counties, in collaboration with the County Cooperative Extension Service and the late Roy Thurber, former State Bee inspector in our area, bee gadgeteer, and prolific author of articles for the bee magazines.

Regular meetings are held the Second Wednesday of each month, (except for July), 7 PM at Bellingham Moose Lodge, 1761 West Bakerview Road, between I-5 and Bellingham Airport, (click on address for map).   Check the Next Meeting page for announcements about the next scheduled meeting.

Bee Bits Monthly, our colorful online newsletter, contains a reminder and an agenda for our next monthly meeting, articles of interest to beekeepers, links to new beekeeping information on the internet, and comments from our members.  See our “Newsletters” page for current and past issues.

Online Forum:  mtbakerbees is a Yahoo!  newsgroup (listserv) for Whatcom County beekeepers.  Join us to talk about your beekeeping experiences, to ask questions about keeping bees in our climate, just to see what beekeeping in Whatcom county is all about.  Forum members range from experienced veterans to “new-bees.”  Catch the buzz online!

Our annual potluck picnic is held in July in lieu of a monthly meeting. Visitors are welcome to attend meetings and the picnic. Each August, MBBA has an informational booth at the Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden. The highly popular observation hive of live bees gives the general public a chance to peek inside a beehive without any danger to themselves, (or to the bees !).

An important service provided by the MBBA is swarm catching. Each year the group makes a list of members who are willing to capture and remove swarms. The list is sent to emergency service dispatchers, the Extension Office, the Humane Society, and to farm supply stores for posting on bulletin boards. Check our Swarm Catchers page for the most up-to-date list.

Need a small orchard or berry crop pollinated?  Most commercial pollinators are not interested in renting hives to growers unless 25 or more are needed.  However, a few MBBA members are willing to provide beehives for smaller pollination jobs that require fewer hives. Check our Pollination page for a list of these members.