About Us
Better beekeeping through education
The MHBA was formed to educate our members and the public about bees, beekeeping and bee products. We are a friendly association of over 500 beekeepers and those who are simply interested in bees and their wellbeing. Our group is nicely balanced between new beekeepers and those who are highly experienced.
Most of our members live in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas, and manage anywhere from one to several hundred hives. We hold regular meetings to learn, exchange ideas and socialize.
The MHBA is registered with the State of Minnesota and IRS as a 501(c)5 non-profit educational organization which is not classified as a charitable organization.
The MHBA has a strong relationship with the U of M Bee Lab professors, staff, and students. This helps us to stay current with research and trends in beekeeping. And we like to share our knowledge through educational outreach to schools, groups and festivals.
MHBA members have also been part of the Minnesota State Fair for more than 50 years. They participate in a variety of ways. They enter their honey and honey-related products, provide demonstrations of honey extraction, explain the observation hives and answer visitors' questions. As a member, you can participate in these activities and many more.
Join and learn with us! There are no requirements for membership—you don’t even have to be a beekeeper. If you want to find out what we're about before you join, attend a meeting to find out.

2023 Officers
- President: Alex King [email protected]
- Vice-President: Kate Winsor
- Secretary: Kate Gardner [email protected]
- Treasurer: Bill Thompson
2023 Board of Directors
(Year indicates the final year of term.)
- Gary Reuter (2023)
- Stacy Anderson (2023)
- Terry McDaniel (2023)
- Sarah Staten (2023)
- Quintin Holmberg (2024)
- Bob Hinschberger (2025)
- Jonathan Kvasnik (2025)
- Betty Mortensen (2025)
- Christine Shoemaker (2025)
- Karen Voy (2025)
- Katie Lee (Bee Lab Appointed Director)
Committees
- Community Outreach Coordinator
Paula Johnson
[email protected] - Newsletter
- Quintin Holmberg - Editor
[email protected] - Membership
Steve Buck
[email protected] - Library
JoAnne Sabin
[email protected] - Technology
Gary Reuter
[email protected]
- Ask Buzz: JoAnne Sabin
- Annual banquet chair: Ginger Reuter
- Beekeeper of the year award chair:
- Community educational outreach: Paula Johnson
- Election nominating chair: Betty Mortensen
- Facebook group admins: Terry McDaniel, Gary Reuter, Steve Buck, Ana Heck, Danny Kraft, Paula Johnson
- Facebook page admins: Ana Heck, Chris Pesklo
- Field trip: Terry McDaniel
- Hospitality: Cathy Schaefer
- Librarian assistant: Kate Gardner
- Membership support: Terry McDaniel, Susan Bornstein
- Picnic assistants: Gary Reuter, Cathy Schaefer
- State Fair August Picnic chair:
- Website support: Joe Meyer, Danny Kraft, Susan Bornstein, Terry McDaniel, JoAnne Sabin
- State fair extracting demo chair:
- Swarm chaser chair: Bob Sitko
- Youth scholarship chair: Gary Reuter
- Youth scholarship assistants: Susan Bornstein, Steve Buck, Paula Johnson, Bill Thompson