The Free State makes a strong showing at the North American Honey Bee Expo (NAHBE)
By Michael Mehalick, Second VP for Prince George's County
Many Maryland beekeepers joined 3,000 fellow beekeepers and vendors at the inaugural North American Honey Bee Exposition (NAHBE) in Louisville, Kentucky January 4–6, 2024. The sold-out event featured more than 80 vendors of beekeeping equipment and supplies including the well-known established companies and newer companies that offer products made in the U.S. to meet the growing demand from hobbyist, sideliner, and commercial beekeepers.
Beekeepers from all over the U.S. were joined by participants from Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Conference speakers came from all over the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and France.
NAHBE has more of a trade show focus, but also introduced the Next Gen Bee Program to equip the next generation of serious beekeepers with advanced knowledge, networking opportunities, and exciting experiences.
The NAHBE Honey Show attracted 1,161 entries from 339 beekeepers making the show one of the largest held in the United States. The familiar major exhibit categories included honey, beeswax, beverages made with honey, arts and crafts related to beekeeping, and food items made with honey.
Two categories that attracted more entries than usual were Beekeeping Antiquities and Cocktails Made with Honey. Several Maryland beekeepers won ribbons and honorable mentions in the competition.It is expected that the 2nd Annual North American Honey Bee Expo will be held in early January 2025. The details will be posted on the NAHBE web site when finalized.
[Return to February 2024 BeeLine newsletter]