Thanks for stopping by, we are thrilled that you have chosen to BEE here! Santa Barbara Beekeeper’s Association (phew that’s long, let’s just call us SBBA) is here to help you along your beekeeping journey. If you are new to beekeeping, or just have a curiosity about the weird people in white suits with netting, this is the right place to bee. We have compiled resources for you to help you along your beekeeping journey:
Local Bee Laws
Bee a good citizen and bee sure to read up on our local Santa Barbara City Bee Laws, and Santa Barbara County Bee laws:
Register Your Hive(s)
If you are keeping bees in the City of Goleta, the City of Santa Barbara or Santa Barbara County, we strongly recommend you register your hive(s) with the Santa Barbara County Agriculture Commissioner.
We would like to maintain good-faith compliance with the ordinances and regulations which govern this activity. These regulations can be found in Ch 7, Article V on the Santa Barbara County web site.
There is no charge for registering your hive(s). Please complete the
Mail In
You may also print it and mail in to
Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office.
263 Camino del Remedio.
Santa Barbara 93110
Thank you for your cooperation!
Films, Books and Podcasts
One of the best ways to learn about beekeeping is to just dive right in, here are some of our favorite resources for learning, from Good Reads reviews to YouTube videos. Enjoy and let us know if you have one, or many to add!
Bee-ginner Books
SBBA has a pretty extensive bee book library, as a benefit to our members you are always welcome to borrow one of our books. Contact us to find out if we have what you are looking for or want to discuss the selection. Please feel free to also tell us about other bee-ginner books you like.
*Help us keep it local! We encourage you to do your research online but to try and purchase your books from one of our local bookstores, they are happy to order it for you if they do not have it in stock and it will usually get delivered in the same amount of time as the larger online stores.
A few of our bookstores include (please contact us to add more): Chaucer’s Books, The Book Den Good Reads has a fantastic list of beekeeping books, and reports along with it to help you decide what might bee a good fit.
The Biology of the Honey Bee
From ancient cave paintings of honey bee nests to modern science’s richly diversified investigation of honey bee biology and its applications, the human imagination has long been captivated by the mysterious and highly sophisticated behavior of this paragon among insect societies. The Biology of the Honey Bee not only reviews the basic aspects of social behavior, ecology, anatomy, physiology, and genetics, it also summarizes major controversies in contemporary honey bee research, such as the importance of kin recognition in the evolution of social behavior and the role of the well-known dance language in honey bee communication. Thorough, well-illustrated, and lucidly written, this book will for many years be a valuable resource for scholars, students, and beekeepers alike.
Beekeeping for Dummies
Beekeeping For Dummies, 2nd Edition reviews the tools of the trade, including complete instructions for building and maintaining beehives; offers detailed and easy-to-follow guidelines for all phases of honey production–including harvesting, bottling, packaging and marketing your honey; explores theories into the recent unexplained collapse of colonies and its environmental and economic on society; and provides new information on mites and diseases and recommend changes in bee medication and treatments.
The Backyard Beekeeper
The Backyard Beekeeper, now revised and expanded, makes the time-honored and complex tradition of beekeeping an enjoyable and accessible backyard pastime that will appeal to gardeners, crafters, and cooks everywhere. This expanded edition gives you even more information on “greening” your beekeeping with sustainable practices, pesticide-resistant bees, and urban and suburban beekeeping. More than a guide to beekeeping, it is a handbook for harvesting the products of a beehive and a honey cookbook–all in one lively, beautifully illustrated reference. This complete honey bee resource contains general information on bees; a how-to guide to the art of bee keeping and how to set up, care for, and harvest honey from your own colonies; as well as tons of bee-related facts and projects.
Bee Handouts
Videos
You have probably seen cute kitten videos on YouTube, or a guy doing some sort of crazy stunt, but did you know that YouTube is a fantastic resource for beekeeping? Check out the wide selection of videos on YouTube.
Fat Bee Man This YouTube user has a great number of helpful videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/FatBeeMan
Honey Bees Online A great resource for podcasts and information
