The association, which was formed over 140 years ago, represents the interests of beekeepers across the state, said TBA president Gary Barber.
How it works
Along with serving as a resource for beekeepers across the state, TBA is partnered with non-profits such as the Texas Honey Bee Education Association, which promotes honey bee education throughout Texas, and Real Texas Honey, which locates local beekeepers and can provide a unique seal to beekeepers who sell pure, unadulterated honey.
The association even has a legislative committee that works with state legislators on issues facing the beekeeping community. During the last legislative session in 2023, TBA was able to get legislators to budget for an agrilife office dedicated to bees.
Headed by Garett Slater, an assistant professor and apiculture extension entomologist at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Barber said TBA now has an "expert on the state level" to help research policies important to beekeepers.
Respecting the craft
Barber said Texas has healthy bee populations, largely due to a "bee bill" passed in 2012 that gives property owners an agriculture exemption on their property taxes for keeping bees.
"There's so many more people that are supporting beekeeping—either directly or indirectly—because of this, that it's done so much for the bees in our state," Barber said. "We have a blanket of bees in most areas now, where before that may not have been the case. Now we've got the pollinators out there. They're pollinating more clover for the cattle, they're hitting the backyard gardens, they're hitting the big row crops."
Staying local
While there's nothing wrong with store-bought honey, Barber said, a lot of of brands have highly filtered and pasteurized their product, resulting in a loss of "a lot of the benefits."
"If you want a better product that has more natural antibodies in it, you want to seek out that raw product from the local supplier," Barber said.
Texas' huge land area and diverse forage also means there are a variety of honeys to be found across the state.
Tallow honey can be found along the Gulf Coast, Barber said, while south Texas is known for its brush honey, or huajillo, which is "very sought after." Wildflower honey can be found in North Texas areas such as the Blackland Prairie, and cotton honey can be found in Central Texas and up into the panhandle.
"The honey is different everywhere you go, just based on what the bees are bringing in," Barber said.
Get involved
For prospective beekeepers, Barber said January and February is the best time of the year to start doing research in order to purchase a bee nucleus colony, or "nuc," by springtime.
Seeking out a local beekeeping association for education and support is a good first step, Barber said.
"In my experience, [beekeepers] always want to share and help because it's very challenging," Barber said. "I don't want to say hobby, but it's a task. It's really challenging, and so guidance is welcome."
If beekeeping is not up your alley, Barber and other TBA members say there are other ways to support bees, such as:
- Planting pollinator-friendly plants and trees with high nutritional value
- Providing water sources for bees to hydrate
- Limiting the use of environmental contaminants such as herbicides, pesticides and fungicides
- Seeking out local beekeepers for honey, or buying from brands that have TBA's Real Texas Honey seal
