Let’s Bee Neighbors: Central Mississippi Beekeepers Connect Jackson Communities

Tarrence Sinclair holding a honeyed frame. Courtesy of CMBA.

Bees deserve our respect, and not just because they can sting. As essential infrastructure for healthy neighborhoods, bees pollinate plants, support ecosystems, and can bring people together, to encourage beautification, conservation and community.. Since 1970, it’s fallen to the Central Mississippi Beekeepers Association (CMBA) to spread that message far and wide. 

Monthly & Annual MeetingsThe group holds meetings on the third Thursday of every month at the Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum on Lakeland Drive. (Meetings last about an hour, and visitors are welcome.) They also offer an annual Beginners Beekeeping Short Course every March at the same location, drawing dozens of Jackson residents each year.

“Our purpose is encouraging beekeeping and mentoring new beekeepers,” said David Buck, a longtime CMBA member who helps organize events. He stressed that beekeeping is not an exact science. “Our short course is a great introduction, but questions always come up and you can get those questions answered just by talking to people at the club,” Buck said.

Bees and your NeighborhoodBy creating and maintaining ideal habitats for bees, beekeeping supports the same goals pursued by many neighborhood associations: fostering community and encouraging beautification. Neighborhood groups can encourage beekeeping by exploring whether vacant lots or community gardens could support managed beehives. Though the CMBA offers no official services to neighborhood associations or other groups, their members are often happy to answer questions and provide recommendations informally. The organization’s main goal is supporting beekeepers so that beekeepers can maintain healthy hives. 

“The more bees the better,” Buck said. Bees help native plants reproduce in gardens and backyards, and attract other pollinating insects that do the same. This benefits the plants as well as the creatures who feed on them. Healthy bee populations can help keep entire ecosystems healthy and thriving. “Most anybody can be a beekeeper,” Buck adds. “And you can have beehives safely in your backyard.”

CMBA meetings and the beginners short course give participants the chance to learn basic hive management, equipment needs and the seasonal rhythms of beekeeping. Many go on to start small hives in their own yards or join efforts at community gardens. Residents and community leaders are encouraged to attend, if only to learn more about the neighborhood benefits of beehives.

Courtesy of CMBA.

When to Call a BeekeeperBees rarely become a problem for homeowners, and beekeepers are not exterminators. However, if you find bees swarming near your house, the association can help you find someone to safely remove them. 

“Swarming” is when a group of bees leaves an existing hive to begin a new one. When they find an appropriate spot, they will “swarm” in a ball ranging in size from a baseball to a beach ball (!) to protect their queen as they begin construction on the new hive.

“If a swarm happens around your house, the best thing to do is call on our Facebook page,” Buck said. “We’ll pass information through our network, and there are several beekeepers in Mississippi who can relocate swarms without harming the bees.”

The group’s activities complement the efforts of the Jackson Association of Neighborhoods by encouraging residents to take an active role in improving their surroundings. “Naturally,” homeowners who keep bees often become more engaged with local environmental issues, native plant initiatives and related community events.

Learn More or Get Involved

Anyone interested in learning more about the Central Mississippi Beekeepers Association can visit their website, attend a monthly meeting or register for the next Beginners Beekeeping Short Course. You are not required to actually become a beekeeper afterward! It’s simply a great way to have fun, meet new friends and learn how you can help bees thrive as essential infrastructure for the health and beauty of your neighborhood.

In the meantime, you can learn a bit about bees and visit a bee hive at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, incidentally a great place to learn about the bees, the birds and all of Mississippi’s myriad creatures, plants and ecosystems.