History
What started out as a little Google Group founded by Krista Harris, publisher of Edible Santa Barbara, has turned into over 100 enthusiastic Backyard Beekeepers yearning to learn more about the Majestic World of the Honey Bee.
In the spring of 2011, the group began its journey to more formal organization through the efforts of Todd Bebb and Paul Cronshaw. Now an established California non-profit, SBBA hopes to bring our goals of education, awareness and honeybee preservation to a new level.
We are fortunate to have some of the most knowledgable and experienced Beekeepers living right here in Santa Barbara, willing to share this knowledge and experience with us. Learning how to take care of the Honey Bee, so that she can continue taking care of us, is what we all hope to do.
We hope you will enjoy this website, learn from it, and contribute your experiences with the Bees.
Bee Well and Bee Happy
Visit our Google group
Leadership
President
Paul Cronshaw
Paul Cronshaw (“The Beeman”) has been keeping honeybees in Santa Barbara County since graduating from SBHS in 1971. He set up his first hive on the roof of his parent’s house, purchased his first hive equipment from Sears catalog, and ordered a package of bees from Mississippi. Since then he has been following his passion for honeybees by maintaining a small apiary in the Montecito foothills, mentoring beginner beekeepers, teaching beekeeping to high school students, removing and relocating honeybees humanely from structures, and recently starting a “bee-host” program to promote the urban beekeeping movement.
Vice-President
Todd A. Bebb
Todd Bebb started beekeeping just earlier this year, with an interest in Backyard Gardening, and a desire to help out the bees after seeing a local showing of
Vanishing of the Bees
. He joined the local Santa Barbara Beekeepers Google Group, took a Beginning Beekeeping Class that Paul offered at Fairview Gardens, and bought his first hive. He was immediately smitten by the Bees, and now takes on as many Bee Rescues and Relocations as time will allow. He is trying his best to get over Bee Stings and trusts that Paul is correct in telling him that it only gets less painful with each one.
Treasurer
Kathy Rem
Kathy Rem’s first hive began as a swarm in the olive tree outside her office. Already a member of the Santa Barbara Beekeeper’s Google Group as a result of being involved in the screening of the movie, Queen of the Sun, What are the Bees Telling Us?, she saw an opportunity to become the activist she wanted to be in saving the bees and posted a notice about the swarm. Todd Bebb responded immediately and to her absolute delight, set her up with a hive. That was in May of 2011. Kathy, and her husband Tom, now have four hives in their backyard and a growing appreciation and love of these amazing beings. Kathy does accounting by trade and is an artist, gardener, writer, and now, an avid beekeeper.
Secretary
Gina Jepson
Gina Jepson began her beekeeping career in the spring of 2008 with a packaged top-bar hive. She did almost everything wrong and her bees absconded. Gina decided she was a Really Bad Beekeeper and gave up. A few months later, she met Paul Cronshaw who set her up with a new colony and got her back on track. Now she has two thriving colonies in her back yard with five others scattered around town, and knows enough to mentor others. She recently became a Certified Instructor for the Washington State Master Beekeeper Program. Gina also homeschools her four kids, makes her own bread and loves to sew, although she doesn't have much time to do it.
Membership
Welcome, we are so glad you are interested in joining our organization. It will greatly enhance your zen and bring balance to your life. (It will also help the local bees). Your membership in the Santa Barbara Beekeepers Association will help educate the local community about the plight of the honeybee and also contribute to our efforts of rescuing local honeybees. Membership starts at just $25 annually per family and signing up is easy, just use the secure PayPal link below to get started.
