The Gaston County Beekeepers Association is a local chapter of the North Carolina Beekeepers Association. Our purpose is to educate beekeepers in the most up-to-date methods of tending bees, including proper use of equipment, medications, and the timing of beekeeping activities throughout the year.

It is also our purpose to help educate the general public regarding the beneficial impact bees have in the pollination of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Also, we endeavor to reassure the public that having honeybees is a highly positive condition in our environment. We also promote the social enjoyment of meeting with fellow beekeepers to share experiences, problems, innovations, and fellowship.

An annual Bee School is held in late winter on 10 Tuesday nights starting the last Tuesday of January. The course prepares students to begin keeping honey bee colonies and to complete a certification test with the NC Master Beekeeper Program. A minimal cost covers materials and fees. Contact the Extension office in December to register.

Our organization is open to anyone who has an interest in beekeeping. Also see the association’s website at gastonbee.org

2013 Annual Swarm List

These beekeepers are willing to relocate HONEY BEES from your property* to an apiary so they can continue to benefit our farms and gardens with pollination and our menus with honey.  If you have yellow-jackets, hornets or wasps, contact an exterminator.

Some beekeepers will remove honeybees from within walls of structures; they may charge a fee for this service, and they may or may not perform structural repairs.  Make sure you understand what the beekeeper is agreeing to do before work begins.

(Revised:  April 4, 2013)