History - National Honey Bee Day

National Honey Bee Day was started by grassroots minded beekeepers to build community awareness of the bee industry, through education and promotion. Our commitment is to continue that philosophy.

The date(s) for National Honey Bee Day was specifically selected to not interfere with other national pollinator, honey programs, and national/regional conferences. We also wanted a date that was convenient to beekeepers having honey, before the start of the school calendar, and prior to winter setting in early for northern states. With this mind, we wanted a stand alone program, aimed specifically at beekeepers and promotion of beekeeping. Our goal is to include as many associations, bee clubs, and individual programs as possible.

2009 - The first National Honey Bee Day program was held August 22, 2009. What started as  simple concept quickly turned into a nation wide effort. Seen as a program aimed at bee associations only, we quickly realized how many individuals were making the same impact on communities and running programs all across the country. Within a few short months, we had 41 recognized participating programs across 16 states.

The first National Honey Bee Day (Also known as National Honey Bee Awareness Day) was recognized with a proclamation issued the 11th day of August, 2009 by Thomas J. Vilsek, the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America. 

Many individuals made contributions to the program's success and it's continued impact on the industry. Chappie McChesney from Florida is one of those individuals that went well above expectations. Tina Bowen and her son Zeph, from Terre Haute Indiana, were instrumental on getting the U.S Department of Agriculture proclamation issued. We thank them for their efforts and contributions. Both are very active promoting programs within their own communities. 

2010 - Many changes came about in regards to National Honey Bee Day in 2010. One of the key ingredients lacking initially with the program, was not being listed as a nonprofit. Funding and support was being very limited. So in early 2010, Pennsylvania Apiculture Inc., was created and filed as a 501c in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. PennApic, as it is known, is now the administrator of the National Honey Bee Day program. Moving forward, we have the ability to be flexible, creative, and dynamic in building the National Honey Bee Day program in the years ahead.

2010 also was our first year with a nation wide theme selected by beekeepers all across the nation in a poll. The theme was "Local Honey - Good for Bees, You, and the Environment". This message is in line with the core values of the National Honey Bee Day program.

NHBD expanded in 2010 to include 49 participating programs across 22 states.

2011 - A nationwide poll selected "Building A Sustainable Future, One Flower at a Time" as the theme for the 2011 NHBD program.  The winning theme was submitted by Michael Adamson, Madison North Carolina.

The 2011 program added three new states to the participants list. Nebraska, West Virginia, and Massachusetts. Six new programs were added to the participants list.

Smiling faces ready to greet the public.

Who wouldn't be sold on beekeeping?