Ramsey Conference Center 2535 Lanier Tech Dr, Gainesville, GA 30507

We welcome beekeepers to the GBA fall meeting! 

This conference is our inaugural hosting of the University of Georgia Bee Lab's Master Beekeeping Program testing and Welsh Honey Judge Training, which will kick off our conference on Thursday, September 21. The conference proper will take place on Friday September 22 and Saturday September 23.

Our stellar guest speakers include Dr. Brock Harpur, Dr. Dewey Caron, Dr. Isaac Weinberg, Theresa Martin, Dr. Lewis Bartlett,  and Dr. Jörg Mayer. They will cover topics both practical and research-oriented. 

Expanding our knowledge with the help of nationally recognized speakers is a marvelous opportunity for us at GBA.  We are also fortunate to have a very strong lineup of breakout session speakers including Jennifer Berry, Edward Morgan, Jr, David Holloman, Julia Mahood, Cindy Hodges, Clarissa Lucas, Deb Dewitt, and Scott Griffith.

Check out the program here.

New this year our breakouts will have a "Beginner Track"– four talks on beekeeping basics for those in their first years of beekeeping. Other breakout topics include beekeeping on golf courses and how to use AirBnB to promote apiary tours.  Additionally, there will be practical talks on equipment storage, honey show tips, using BroodMinder sensors, applying for license plate grants, and planting for pollinators.

For members who do bee removals, the team from the Department of Ag Structural Pest Control Division will be conducting special breakouts for you on Saturday. Additionally, Dr. Bartlett's talk on Saturday will count as a continuing education credit for your license renewal.

The UGA Certified, Journeyman and Master Beekeeper testing will be on Thursday September 21 in Governor Deal’s Economic Development Bldg. next to the Ramsey Conference Center. The Welsh Honey Judge training begins on Thursday and continues on Friday. To participate in testing you must register to attend the GBA Fall Conference and select the testing level as an add-on. Read more about the UGA testing here.

The GBA Board of Directors meets at 4:30 PM on Thursday, September 21 in the Lyman Hall Breakout room of the Ramsey Conference Center

Conference programming begins on Friday September 22, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM  

Friday Evening's program, beginning at 5:00 PM, features a talk by Jorg Mayer, the presentation of awards, and announcement of  the new Journeyman and Master Beekeepers. There is an additional fee for the dinner and pre-registration is required. 

On Saturday September 23, the day begins with the Club President’s Breakfast 7:45 AM, (only for current local club presidents). The conference begins with the GBA Annual Business Meeting at 9:00. The day closes at 5:00.

Fee Schedule:

In an effort to simplify the registration process we now prefer online payment. If you have not paid within 15 minutes of registering online, your registration will automatically cancel. Please have your payment information ready before registering for this event. 

• Early registration for the weekend  is $85 for members and $100 for nonmembers.
• On September 17, registration will be $100 for everyone.
• Friday night dinner, $25
• Early registration for one-day, Friday or Saturday registration fee is $55.
• On September 17, a one-day registration will be $60.

UGA Testing Program fees include lunch on Thursday:

• Certified $60
• Journeyman $70
• Master $70
• Welsh Honey Judge $65

Hotel group rates are available at the following locations in Gainesville (click to make reservations):

Fairfield Inn & Suites Gainesville  

Hilton Garden Inn Gainesville  

One of the features of the GBA Fall Conference is the fall honey show. To see the categories and rules for the honey show, click here. This year the honey show features combined categories from the traditional Fall Honey and Beeswax show as well as the Artisan show. The honey show is only open to current dues paid members of GBA who attend the conference. Please check your membership status before you arrive to expedite your honey show entries.

Our fall conference is proudly sponsored by the following vendors: Pigeon Mountain Trading Company, Rossman Apiaries, Mann Lake Bee & AG Supply, Mellow Bear Honey, Savannah Bee Company and Blue Ridge Honey Co. We encourage our members to support these companies with your business both at the conference and in pre-conference orders to save on shipping.

If you'd like to join us as a new member, click here. Once you have joined the organization, you can come back here and register for the conference at the member rate! As a nonmember registrant, you cannot enter the honey show, but if you join now, you can also enter the fall honey show.

If you are already a member and want to pay your dues for the next year as many of us like to do with the fall meeting registration, visit your member profile page when you have completed your registration and renew your membership. If you don't do that at this time, you will be sent a membership renewal reminder at the end of your membership year.

The officer election is held at the fall meeting. Members must have their dues paid up to date to vote in the election. If you are not sure when your dues should be paid, check on your personal profile page.

Refund policy: If you cancel by September 16, you may receive a refund of your registration fee. If you cancel after September 16, you will receive a refund of your registration minus $30 to cover the prepaid lunches and other costs. If you signed up for the dinner, you will receive a refund minus $55 for lunches and the dinner reserved for you.

Welcome, everyone! We are going to have a great fall conference and look forward to everyone's participation.