Our Queen Bee has gone on to her heavenly hive that God has prepared for her. Jennifer Amanda Brown, born February 6, 1974 in Lake Charles, LA, went to meet her Savior on Monday, December 18, 2023 at just 49 years young.

Jennifer was the loving wife of John Brown, whom she enjoyed traveling with and the entertainment in her Rodeo of Life. She is the passionate mother of Lane Stanford and MacKenzie Stanford. She was also gifted with McKenzie (Landon) Cook, Cameron (Joey) Dixon, Kirby (Brandon) Boudreaux, and John Westley Middlebrooks when she married John. Her bee-utiful heart was poured out to her God, family, animals (including her favorite red heeler, Charlie Brown), community, livestock, and beekeeping. Her hard work, generosity, forward thinking, and dedication influenced many people and will have a lasting impact on our hearts and minds.

She is preceded in death by her biological father, Eugene Dripps and mother, Maxie Hauser Sonnier; step-brother, Everett Sonnier; and nephew, Quentin Habetz.

She is also survived by her adopted father, Kerney (Janice) Sonnier; brother, Jason (Alma) Dripps; sister, Julie (Paul) Habetz; sister, Jessica Sonnier. Nanny Jenny’s bee-loved soul will be missed by her colony of nieces and nephews and grandchildren.

Jennifer served as the President of the Louisiana Beekeeper Association, and was instrumental in starting the St. Helena Bee Club, the Tangi Bee Club, the Washington Bee Club, and the Hathaway High School Apiary in Jefferson Davis Parish. She was also a member of the American Quarter Horse Association.

A special thank you to the worker bees who generously cared for her during her medical time of need, Aunt Dana Hauser, and her friends, Staci and Jennifer.

Donations in her honor may be made to the LBA at 210 Meadowlark Drive, Jefferson, TX 75657 or the AQHA, PO Box 32111, Amarillo TX 79120. Please make payable to: Professional Horsemen Endowment Fund . You can add that this is in memory of Jennifer Brown Please share your condolences at www.sealefuneral.com.

Celebration of life service will take place Friday March 15, 2024 at Sunlight Baptist Church in Franklinton(18184 Sunlight Rd.) with visitation from 9-10:30 and service starting at 10:30 conducted by Brother Leroy.

https://sealefuneral.com/2023/12/21/jennifer-amanda-brown/

The Louisiana Beekeepers Association is accepting proposal applications for two scholarships. 1) The Honey Bee License Plate Fund provides financial aid for graduate AND postgraduate students enrolled in a Louisiana postsecondary institution working on applied honey bee research projects with USDA ARS, and 2) The Margaret Prell Memorial Fund supplies funding for all other applicants, including youth, interested in honey bee research. Details provided in the application.  All applications are due by April 30.

Register now to hear presentations from experts right here in our state at our world-class bee lab in Baton Rouge.  For close to 100 years, the bee lab has been providing helpful and practical information for beekeepers.  Don't miss this opportunity to gather information first-hand from these researchers during this year's Fall Field Day.

Saturday, October 7, 2023

USDA ARS Honey Bee Lab

1157 Ben Hur Road, Baton Rouge, LA. 70808

Varroa mites can cause massive colony losses; they are the single largest problem facing beekeepers since they spread to the United States from Southeast Asia in 1987.  While miticides used to control Varroa exist, resistance is developing to some of them.

“We would like to replace reliance on chemical controls with honey bees...that have high mite resistance of their own and perform well, including high honey production...” said Frank Rinkevich, Research Entomologist.

Learn the latest  from the best experts in the world, the USDA ARS researchers and LBA beekeepers in the morning, lunch included in the ticket price, and hands-on demonstrations in the hives for the afternoon with the researchers and our LBA commercial beekeepers.  

2023 Field Day information: (Bring your beekeeping gear!)

REGISTER HERE: https://www.labeekeepers.org/event-5181528

Learn all about bees at an event in October hosted by Louisiana State Beekeepers Association and the USDA Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory

The 26th annual Field Day is set for Oct. 15 at the LSU Rural Life Museum, 4560 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge. The entrance is near the intersection of Essen Lane (La. 3064) and Interstate 10.

Register Here

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/ascension/article_76f0094a-1375-11ed-b537-6389fb3c65f1.html

Ever thought about becoming a beekeeper? Nola Ducote tells us what the process involves!

Click to watch the video

https://www.kalb.com/2022/08/27/whats-all-buzz-about/

By Alena Noakes

Published: Aug. 26, 2022 at 7:18 PM CDT

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - At the Holiday Inn in downtown Alexandria, more than 200 beekeepers gathered for the 60th annual Louisiana Beekeeper’s Association Convention (LBA).

Every year, beekeepers from around the state meet to share their honeybees, one of Louisiana’s most valuble resources as a leader in agriculture. As important pollinators who help sustain the environment, beekeepers make it a priority to stay educated and move forward in their efforts toward continued preservation.

“So much of the flowers and everything you see depends on honeybee pollination,” said Wesley Card, president of LBA. “Not to mention beeswax and honey and the other products they provide as well. It’s for people to understand what they can do in their own yards, as far as pesticides and other things that are happening in their environment they may not think about, and how they affect the honeybees.”

One of those is The Bee Commander, a vendor at the convention, with owners who save bees by rescuing them from attics, roofs and any place you would not want to find a hive of bees, giving them a safe home and the freedom to keep doing what honeybees do.

“The backbone of The Bee Commander, the whole reason for it, is saving honeybees one hive at a time,” said Jeff Brown of Pearl River, who owns the business with his wife. “We have a bunch of beeswax left over when the honey process is over. So we turned it into candles, soap and lip balm, trying to be as natural as we can with it. Just another product to honor them.”

How many colonies are in Louisiana? Kathy Broussard with the USDA Agricultural Survey talks about the latest NASS Agricultural survey at the Louisiana Beekeepers Association 2022 convention.

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Services is the Official Statistical Agency of the USDA with the mission to provide timely, accurate and useful statistics in service to U.S. Agriculture.

Click the link or photo for video

For more information on the Census of Agriculture go to:  www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus  or contact Kathy Broussard, LA State Statistician at:  Kathy.Broussard@usda.gov.

Download the full LBA Conference Program or scan the QR code.

Only weeks before the 60^th Annual Louisiana Beekeepers Association Convention will be held at the Holiday Inn Downtown in centrally-located Alexandria, Louisiana! There is still time to register for the early-bird registration price of $75 if you sign up before August 1, after which the price will go to $100. Reserve your rooms soon with Code BEE to take advantage of the special discounted rate. The reserved room block will be void after August 11.

Special guest speakers include Dr. Juliana Rangel from Texas A&M University Honey Bee Lab, YouTube star, Bob Binnie from Georgia, Earl Hoffman from Strong Microbials, and Michelle Tubre from Louisiana, as well as updates from the USDA ARS Honey Bee Lab, NASS, LBA scholarship recipients, and our new State Apiarist, Mark Earl. A special slide presentation to commemorate LBA’s 60 years will be given by Jimmy Dunkley during Friday night’s banquet and will be followed by a live auction. Visit this link for a list of speakers, topics and times.

This year a meal option is being provided for Friday lunch ($12) in addition to the Friday night banquet ($25). Meals are separate from the registration charge. Details on how to select lunch and banquet options are provided on the website under the convention registration.

Last year’s Black Jar Honey Contest was so popular, we are going to host another similar contest. Entry rules may also be found on the website. Please consider bringing a jar of your honey and a $5.00 entry fee to drop off Friday morning at the registration table. Judging will occur on Friday from 9:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We will also be conducting both live and silent auctions at the convention, so please consider bringing and donating items to be auctioned this year.

Do you have a business or know of a business that would like to advertise in our program, or be a vendor, or even a sponsor? Please visit the website to become a sponsor, vendor, or advertiser for this year’s convention.

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Stacy Blomquist, at fsbuglady@gmail.com or (318)446-5054.

Register now for the Louisiana Beekeepers Association 60th Annual Convention at the Holiday Inn Alexandria - Downtown. The doors will open at 8 a.m. on Friday, August 26, with kick-off at 9 a.m. and conclude on Saturday, August 27, at 3:00 p.m.

• Dr. Juliana Rangel from Texas A&M University and Bob Binnie  with Blue Ridge Honey in Georgia will be our guest speakers for the Convention along with other exciting presenters. 
• Vendors with the latest technology and equipment will be present.
• Black jar honey contest - bring a small jar of your honey and see how it compares in taste with others around the state!

REGISTER HERE