Topics and Presenters
10 Activites of a Strong Colony
(Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced)
A quick discussion of the 10 things beekeepers should be doing to grow a strong healthy colony.
Time/Room
12:10 – 1:00 pm – Room 1
Dodie Stillman
Dodie Stilman began attending meetings of the Austin Area Beekeepers and Williamson County Area Beekeepers Associations in 2011. She served as president of the Austin club, and is currently the program director for the WCABA club. She was part of the inaugural class of the Texas Master Beekeepers Program, becoming one of the first five Master Craftsman level Beekeepers in Texas. Dodie currently serves on the TMBP board. Over the past six years, she worked with the Texas Beekeepers Association board, including serving as president, and is now active on the Legislative Committee and co-chairs the TBA Honey Show.
CONTACT: stillmandodie@gmail.com.
A Practical Guide to Queen Rearing
(Intermediate, Advanced)
Re-queening hives is a common task that many beekeepers use to maintain the health of their hive. But if you have more than a couple of hives, this can get somewhat expensive. This class will show you how to raise your own queens.
Time/Room
9:00 – 9:50 am – Room 7
Steve Brackman
Steve Brackman was raised on a dairy farm in Northern Illinois and lived there until 1985 when he moved to Texas. Steve began his beekeeping career over 25 years ago; starting out by doing over 2400 removals. Today he focuses on being a queen breeder which he’s been doing for the last 10 years.
Advanced Top-Bar Beekeeping
(Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced)
For beekeepers ready to move beyond the basics and into confident decision-making, Nathalie B. presents an advanced look at horizontal top-bar beekeeping focused on seasonal management, intentional growth, splits, comb honey production, and troubleshooting common challenges. This session also explores how to strategically use Langstroth colonies to accelerate growth in horizontal systems, helping beekeepers gain clarity and build strong, productive, and resilient colonies.
Time/Room
10:10 – 11:00 am – Room 8
Nathalie B.
Nathalie B. is a Master Craftsman beekeeper with 15 years of experience and a thriving operation of 400 colonies that she maintains entirely Treatment-Free. She is a respected international speaker and professional educator, regularly invited to lead trainings and present on speaking tours across the United States, Australia, and Africa.
Nathalie is a dedicated advocate for Horizontal, Natural Beekeeping as a simple, affordable, accessible, and highly manageable approach that is especially well suited to backyard and small-scale beekeepers. An inventor at heart, she designed the easy-to-build Bee Mindful standardized Horizontal Top-Bar Hive and the Bee Mindful Flex Hive, a Langstroth to Top-Bar adapter that streamlines and expands the adoptability of Horizontal Top-Bar Hives by allowing full interchangeability of comb and enabling efficient Top-Bar NUC production by all, including Langstroth beekeepers. Her innovations earned her an invitation to present at Apimondia 2025 in Europe.
Nathalie B. is the founder of Bee Mindful LLC, a full-service beekeeping business based in Austin, Texas.
CONTACT: beemindfulhoneyfarms@gmail.com
Advantages of Top-Entrance Langstroth Hives
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
The bottom entrance design in Langstroth hives is the Achilles heel of the design, but otherwise I love Langstroth hives. Come learn how I’ve overcome this design flaw.
Time/Room
12:10 – 1:00 pm – Room 4
Tony Andric
Tony Andric is a recovering computer/electrical engineer, addicted beekeeper, makes doors for chickens?, has zero life insurance, lives near Lockhart, Texas (BBQ capital of Texas), old, fat, white, bald, bearded guy (1967 model), married, uses Langstroth mediums only with top entrances, survival genetics & is treatment free.
CONTACT: sales@allmybees.com
A Lighter, More Affordable Path to Beekeeping with Top-Bar Hives
(Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced)
Backyard beekeeping does not need to be heavy, complicated, or expensive. For those curious about more accessible and enjoyable options, Nathalie B. introduces a simpler, lighter approach using affordable horizontal top-bar hives that respect bee biology, reduce strain, and allow beekeepers to better understand the art and rhythm of beekeeping while bringing clarity, confidence, and inspiration back to the craft.
Time/Room
8:00 – 9:50 am – Room 8
Nathalie B.
Nathalie B. is a Master Craftsman beekeeper with 15 years of experience and a thriving operation of 400 colonies that she maintains entirely Treatment-Free. She is a respected international speaker and professional educator, regularly invited to lead trainings and present on speaking tours across the United States, Australia, and Africa.
Nathalie is a dedicated advocate for Horizontal, Natural Beekeeping as a simple, affordable, accessible, and highly manageable approach that is especially well suited to backyard and small-scale beekeepers. An inventor at heart, she designed the easy-to-build Bee Mindful standardized Horizontal Top-Bar Hive and the Bee Mindful Flex Hive, a Langstroth to Top-Bar adapter that streamlines and expands the adoptability of Horizontal Top-Bar Hives by allowing full interchangeability of comb and enabling efficient Top-Bar NUC production by all, including Langstroth beekeepers. Her innovations earned her an invitation to present at Apimondia 2025 in Europe.
Nathalie B. is the founder of Bee Mindful LLC, a full-service beekeeping business based in Austin, Texas.
CONTACT: beemindfulhoneyfarms@gmail.com
Annual Maintenance
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Let’s talk about beekeeping seasons. Learning the behaviors and goals of the honeybees helps lead to better management throughout the seasons. We’ll break down the seasons by discussing the best management practices and how to make decisions when inspecting your hives.
Time/Room
2:10 – 3:00 pm – Room 3
Ashley Ralph
Ashley Ralph owns Prime Bees in College Station along with her husband, Justin, where she raises queens, hosts educational events, and manages bees throughout the surrounding areas. Her passion for bees grew rapidly after getting their first bee package and she enjoys learning and sharing about honeybees with anybody who will listen. Ashley is a Texas Master Beekeeper because she thought it would be an efficient and fun way to learn more about bees – she was right, it has led to an adventure in continuous learning.
CONTACT: ashley@primebees.com
Apitherapy; Evidence-Based Medicine from the Hive
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Apitherapy is the therapeutic use of bee products such as honey, propolis, bee venom, royal jelly, pollen, bee bread, apiair, apilarnil, and bee buzz for health and healing. In this presentation, Dr. Ferhat Ozturk bridges traditional apitherapy practices with contemporary biomedical research, highlighting clinically relevant mechanisms including antimicrobial action, immune modulation, and antioxidant protection. The talk emphasizes safety, scientific validation, and practical applications, demonstrating how apitherapy is evolving from traditional knowledge into an evidence-based complementary medical approach.
Time/Room
12:10 – 1:00 pm – Room 5
Dr. Ferhat Ozturk
Dr. Ferhat Ozturk is the Project Director of the HONEY Pathway, Co-PI at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), and Associate Professor of Biology at Sul Ross State University International in Eagle Pass, TX. He also serves as the Chief Scientific Officer of MDM Wound Ventures designing EZHoney. Dr. Ozturk earned his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno, with expertise in gene therapy, viral vector development, and biochemistry.
Recognized by the American Beekeeping Federation as a medicinal honey expert, Dr. Ozturk combines a strong biomedical background with a passion for exploring honey’s therapeutic potential. His research investigates the biological and chemical profiles of mono-floral honeys from around the world, aiming to identify high-bioactivity U.S. honeys that rival or surpass current medical-grade options.
Dr. Ozturk leads a $2.9 million USDA-NextGen grant to support the HONEY Pathway, a national initiative to advance medicinal honey research while engaging students in hands-on education focused on local honeys. His work has been featured by Newsweek, Fortune, Science, and numerous local news channels and newspapers.
Contact: geneturk@gmail.com
CONTACT: geneturk@gmail.com
Beekeepers Toolbox
(Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced)
Beekeepers Toolbox – This class will focus on tools and accessories for the bee yard that make beekeeping easier, safer, cleaner, better organized and more enjoyable. We will discuss hive tools, smoker accessories, feed transport and delivery setups, cool gadgets, general useful items and how to conveniently transport them to and from the bee yard.
Time/Room
3:20 – 4:10 pm – Room 8
Brandon Fehrenkamp
Brandon Fehrenkamp is the owner of Austin Bees, specializing in bee removals, top bar hives and consulting. Brandon began beekeeping on a whim in 2003 and started doing live removals in 2005. He has extensive experience safely removing hives in densely populated areas. He regularly speaks at schools and events to educate the public, is mentor to the UT Beekeeping Club, Beevo, and manages the glass observation hive at the Austin Nature & Science Center.
CONTACT: austinbeewranglers@gmail.com
Beekeeping 101 Basic Beekeeping Parts 1 & 2
(Beginner, Intermediate)
Making the leap into beekeeping can be daunting. This class starts by demystifying some of the choices beginning beekeepers face in terms of getting bees, choosing equipment, and setting up your apiary. It then transitions into the knowledge and skills you will need to be a successful beekeeper.
• Getting Started: choosing your bees, equipment, and apiary setup.
• Honeybee Biology: bee development and identifying different bees, resources, and problems in your hive.
• Beekeeping Skills and Hive Management: how to work a hive, what you are looking for, and how to set your bees up for success.
Time/Room
Part 1 – 8:00 – 9:15 am – Room 1
Part 2 – 9:35- 11:00 am – Room 1
Lauren Ward
Lauren Ward is the owner of A Bar Beekeeping, providing hive management services, bee leases, and beekeeping education. Lauren has had a lifelong interest in insects and agriculture, culminating in a Master’s degree in Entomology in 2014 and Board Certification in Entomology in 2015. Located in Caldwell, A Bar Beekeeping manages hives across a wide area from the Texas Hill Country to Houston.
CONTACT: ABarBeekeeping@gmail.com
Beekeeping 201 – Advanced Beekeeping – Parts 1 & 2
(Intermediate, Advanced)
This will be a fast-paced whirlwind presentation discussing: the Golden Rules of Beekeeping, nutrition management, diseases control, comb rotation, colony combining, re-queening, Integrated Pest Management, swarm prevention and control techniques. You should bring a pen and paper and be prepared to cover a lot of material.
Time/Room
Part 1 – 8:00 – 9:50 am – Room 2
Part 2 – 10:10 – 11:00 am – Room 2
Dr. Garett Slater
Dr. Garett Slater has 18 years of beekeeping experience. In 2022, he obtained his PhD from Purdue University. In 2024, he became an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University as the state’s Apiculture Extension Specialist. Garett’s current research focuses on developing cheap genomic tools to help beekeepers select bees for natural defenses towards Varroa, pathogens, and other diseases. Additionally, Garett provides extension support to beekeepers across the state.
CONTACT: garett.slater@ag.tamu.edu
Beekeeping for Kids
(Beginner)
Beekeeping is not only an exciting and fulfilling hobby, but it’s also an educational activity that helps kids connect with nature, learn about responsibility, and contribute to environmental conservation. Teaching children about bees and how to care for them offers a unique opportunity to foster a love for science and the natural world while helping protect one of the planet’s most essential pollinators!
Time/Room
1:10 – 2:00 pm – Room 2
Danessa Yaschuk
Danessa Yaschuk, known by many as ‘Nes’ is a sideliner and Master beekeeper. She is the owner of SweetNes Honey Apiaries & Beetique located in Needville, Texas. She and her husband Brent and two sons Benjamin & Nicholas manage approximately 400+ hives located throughout Fort Bend County. She served 5 years as the Vice President of the Fort Bend Beekeepers Association and is now on her second year as the President of the club. Danessa is on the board of Directors for the Real Texas Honey Program and on the Executive Committee for the Texas Beekeepers Association. Not only does she run bees, but she is also an authorized dealer for Mann Lake Bee Supply.
CONTACT: nes@sweetneshoney.com
Beekeeping for Profit – More than Honey
(Intermediate, Advanced)
There’s so much more to making money in beekeeping than just honey. We’ll go over different strategies that you can incorporate into your operation to at least help break even, if not grow into what your goals are, or could be.
Time/Room
8:00 – 8:50 am – Room 6
Becky Barajas
Becky Barajas has been an avid beekeeper for 13 years. As a passionate educator, she loves to learn and teach all about the amazing bug that she has dedicated her life to, the honey bee. Becky has volunteered her time through dozens of positions within the industry- from local bee clubs to national organizations. She has been the store manager of The Bee Supply in Round Rock since it’s opening in 2023 and loves to travel to 16 different bee clubs all over Central Texas. Her favorite thing about keeping bees is learning everything she can from the bees themselves and sharing everything she’s learned.
CONTACT: becky@thebeesupply.com
Bees for Ag. Exemption
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
In 2012, the state of Texas changed the law to allow Beekeeping to qualify as an agricultural activity which can qualify the land for a 1-d-1 open space valuation (“exemption”) for your property taxes. This class details what this law requires, presented by the man who helped write the law.
Time/Room
12:10 – 1:00 pm – Room 6
2:10 – 3:00 pm – Room 6
Dennis Herbert
Dennis Herbert is a native central Texan and drafted the original legislation for the current bee law that assists small landowners in receiving their agricultural valuation if they wish to raise bees on their property. He helped shepherd the bill through the legislature in 2011, it became law on January 1, 2012. He has been a beekeeper in Bell County for 18 years.
CONTACT: conservation1@earthlink.net
Beyond the Hive: Texas’s 900+ Native Bees
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
An informative workshop on Texas Native Pollinators with a focus on bees: What, Why, and How. Discover why pollinators are essential to our food supply, ecosystems, and natural resources, with a focus on the key species in the Texas ecoregions, especially bees as the top agricultural pollinators. Learn practical strategies for supporting these vital creatures, including providing forage through native plants, creating nesting sites and shelters (such as bee hotels and undisturbed ground), ensuring water sources, and implementing land management practices to enhance habitat while benefiting broader wildlife. This class empowers beekeepers, landowners and gardeners to actively conserve Texas’s native pollinators and foster thriving natural landscapes.
Time/Room
1:10 – 2:00 pm – Room 9
Tom Shaughnessy
Tom Shaughnessy is a natural resource planning specialist and beekeeper from New Ulm, Texas. Tom is the owner of Cedar Hollar Services, where he works directly with landowners across the region on natural resource management, with particular specialization in native bee conservation, honey bee management, and comprehensive wildlife planning for better land stewardship and ag valuation. This hands-on work offers unique insights into the real-world challenges and opportunities of supporting pollinator populations in our Texas landscapes.
Tom is a Texas Master Naturalist and is a Certified Interpretive Guide. Tom’s passion for pollinators and native ecosystems, paired with his professional experience helping land owners make informed conservation decisions, makes them an ideal guide for today’s exploration of Texas native bees.
CONTACT: greenh2o@gmail.com
Catching and Keeping Swarms
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
We’ll discuss how to be prepared for swarm season, easily capture swarms and keep them alive. Get tips and tricks for capturing swarms as well as how to ensure they’ll be healthy and thrive.
Time/Room
12:10 – 1:00 pm – Room 3
3:20 – 4:10 pm – Room 3
Justin Russell
Justin Russell owns and operates Prime Bees in College Station along with his wife, Ashley, where he manages between 1000-1500 colonies of bees and growing. Justin is also the Operations Manager for Desert Creek Pollination who places 50-100,000 hives for beekeepers in the California almonds. He continues to grow his business where he sells live bees, educates, does professional bee removal, manages bees on others’ properties, raises queen bees, and everything in between. Justin is a blunt and practical beekeeper that is focused on results.
CONTACT: justin@primebees.com
Colony Assessment
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
This talk explores how to collect and record essential field data to evaluate colony performance. Participants will learn to assess key traits such as Harbo assays, colony strength, queen quality, temperament, and pest levels, and how these measurements can be used to generate breeding values that support informed management and selection decisions.
Time/Room
10:10 – 11:00 am – Room 5
Omar Martinez
Omar Martínez is a Program Extension Specialist in Apiculture with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. He has over 25 years of professional beekeeping experience and holds a Ph.D. in Genetics. His work focuses on honey bee colony management, queen rearing, breeding programs, and improving colony health. Omar works closely with hobbyist, sideline, and commercial beekeepers through hands-on training, research-based education, and extension programs.
CONTACT: omar.martinez@ag.tamu.edu
Cooking with Honey
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Honey has a myriad of benefits over white sugar, and in this class you will learn about those benefits plus how to swap honey for sugar in recipes, creative ways to use honey in your kitchen everyday, and how to create unique honey infusions.
Time/Room
11:10 – 12:00 pm – Room 5
Carla Salas
Carla Salas started beekeeping as a hobby with 6 hives in Hutto, TX in April 2021, Carla started beekeeping as a hobby with 6 hives. She fell in love with bees and wanted to learn all she could about them. She took an apprenticeship class at Two Hives Honey in the fall of 2021. This eventually led to her part time job as a Tour Guide at Two Hives Honey in the Spring of 2023. As a tour guide at Two Hives, Carla shares her love of honeybees by leading hive tours. She also served as the 2023 Vice President for Austin Area Beekeepers Association. When Carla is not working, talking or thinking about bees, she is taking care of her chickens and garden
CONTACT: carlasalas0312@gmail.com
Digital Marketing for Beekeepers
(Intermediate, Advanced)
Digital Marketing for Small-Scale and Sideliner Beekeepers is a practical, classroom-based course built around real examples from years of running and growing a working bee business. We’ll walk through how to launch a focused digital marketing campaign with an emphasis on customer acquisition, clear messaging, and simple ways to measure what’s actually working. The class also covers the basics of paid advertising and how to use online platforms to build an engaged community — not just an audience — that supports your beekeeping operation over time.
Time/Room
9:00 – 9:50 am – Room 6
Charlie Agar
Charlie Agar and his wife, Kaye, run Charlie Bee Company, a bee school and agritourism site in Seguin offering hands-on classes, tours, and a full range of bees and beekeeping equipment. Charlie and his team manage more than 300 agricultural-lease colonies and handle live honey bee removals and relocations across Central Texas. Their work is featured in the PBS reality series Charlie Bee Company, now playing on PBS stations and streaming at PBS.org.
CONTACT: info@charliebee.com
Doom & Gloom: Mites, Hornets & Flys (OH MY)
(Intermediate, Advanced)
This talk will be an opportunity to learn about the Tropilaelaps Mite, an upcoming threat to beekeeping and the world. In this talk you will learn more about the Mite, its lifecycle and biology, some monitoring and management techniques to consider as well as how to report the Mite if you think you’ve found it. I will also cover the USDA AHPIS National Honey Bee Survey, the Yellow-Legged Hornet and Spotted Lanternfly.
Time/Room
8:00 – 8:50 pm – Room 9
Hannah Blackburn
Hannah Blackburn graduated from Texas A&M University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Entomology. She has been an Apiary Inspector for the state of Texas since November 2018 and has been an active member of the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) and Texas Beekeeper’s Association (TBA) since that time.
CONTACT: Hannah.Blackburn@ag.tamu.edu
Feeding My Bees
(Beginning, Intermediate)
In this course, you’ll learn about the nutritional needs of the colony, as we try to answer the age-old question “Should I be feeding my bees?” We will learn the basics of honeybee nutrition, and how the needs of the colony change through the season.
Time/Room
1:10 – 2:00 pm – Room 4
Nanette Davis
Nanette Davis, is a Master level Texas Master Beekeeper (Pollination and Botany) and the director of the Montgomery County Youth Beekeepers Program. She enjoys gardening, taking pictures of bees, and beekeeping. She has been a beekeeper for 15 years, utilizing both traditional hives and Flow Hives.
CONTACT: ndavis.aba@gmail.com
Flow Hive
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
The Flow Hive is inspiring thousands of new beekeepers around the world. It takes the hard work out of harvesting honey and makes it a lot less stressful for the bees. Nanette will share her tips on using the Flow Hive and troubleshoot concerns.
Time/Room
11:10 – 12:00 pm – Room 6
Nanette Davis
Nanette Davis, is a Master level Texas Master Beekeeper (Pollination and Botany) and the director of the Montgomery County Youth Beekeepers Program. She enjoys gardening, taking pictures of bees, and beekeeping. She has been a beekeeper for 15 years, utilizing both traditional hives and Flow Hives.
CONTACT : ndavis.aba@gmail.com
Honey Bee Behavior
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Honeybee behavior in a colony is driven by pheromones. We will break down the many pheromones emitted by different castes and stages of brood, sharing how they affect all honey bee behaviors from promoting (or preventing) queen rearing, foraging, mating, swarming, defensive behaviors and much more. By understanding how these pheromones work you can better recognize what’s happening in your hive, react when needed, and even prevent unwanted behaviors through anticipatory beekeeping.
Time/Room
1:10 – 2:00 pm – Room 5
Carla Salas
Carla Salas started beekeeping as a hobby with 6 hives in Hutto, TX in April 2021, Carla started beekeeping as a hobby with 6 hives. She fell in love with bees and wanted to learn all she could about them. She took an apprenticeship class at Two Hives Honey in the fall of 2021. This eventually led to her part time job as a Tour Guide at Two Hives Honey in the Spring of 2023. As a tour guide at Two Hives, Carla shares her love of honeybees by leading hive tours. She also served as the 2023 Vice President for Austin Area Beekeepers Association. When Carla is not working, talking or thinking about bees, she is taking care of her chickens and garden.
CONTACT: carlasalas0312@gmail.com
Honey Bee Biology
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
This presentation provides a practical overview of honey bee biology and how it influences everyday hive management. We will explore the honey bee life cycle, basic colony organization, communication, and seasonal population changes, and learn how these biological processes shape behaviors such as brood rearing, honey production, and swarming. By gaining a clearer understanding of how honey bees are naturally designed to function, beekeepers are better equipped to make informed management decisions and support healthier, more resilient colonies.
Time/Room
3:20 – 4:10 pm – Room 9
Michele Jaquier
Michele Jaquier is a Texas Master Beekeeper, Texas Master Naturalist, and owner of Fowl Acres Farm, LLC in Central Texas. She manages over 200 treatment-free colonies focused on colony health, genetic resilience, and sustainable beekeeping practices. Michele teaches public and private beekeeping classes, provides agricultural hive leasing services and maintenance, and conducts honey bee colony removal and rehabilitation. She serves as President of the Colorado County Beekeepers Association and Vice President of the Fayette County Beekeepers Association and was honored with the 2025 Ann Harmon Award for Beekeeping Excellence.
CONTACT: queenbee@fowlacresfarm.com
Honey Extracting
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
This class is a demonstration with lots of practical information. We will talk about how to get honey supers from the hive and demonstrate how to uncap and spin out the honey.
Time/Room
12:10 – 1:00 pm – Room 7
1:10 – 2:00 pm – Room 7
2:10 – 3:00 pm – Room 7
Shelly Rice
Shelley Rice is an accomplished beekeeper whose first introduction to the world of honeybees came in 2003 when she read “The Secret Life of Bees”. Although largely self-taught, early on she benefitted from a membership in the Houston Beekeepers Association. Since then Shelley has mentored numerous others, young and old, who want to get involved in this wonderful avocation.
CONTACT: shelleydrice@gmail.com
Honey Sensory; How to Taste && Appreciate Honey
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Time/Room
3:20 – 4:10 pm – Room 4
Monica Sisiak
Monica Sisiak
How to Extract & Bottle Competition Honey
(Intermediate, Advanced)
Time/Room
11:10 – 12:00 pm – Room 4
Monica Sisiak
Monica Sisiak
How Do I Inspect My Hive
(Beginner, Intermediate)
The basis for all successful beekeepers is the ability to do a thorough hive inspection, and from it gather information needed to manage the hive effectively. Learn as we go through each of the steps needed to confidently make decisions based on what you observe.
Time/Room
12:10 – 12:00 pm – Room 1
2:10 – 3:00 pm – Room 1
Rex Smith
Rex Smith has been beekeeping for 16 years; and for the last 14 years as his full-time vocation. His passion for bees started after being challenged to make his garden produce more without using chemicals in the garden. Rex provides beekeeping services in the form of bees and hive management for land ag. valuation, education/classes, as well as honey production and sales. He resides in N. Texas and is the past President of the Texas Association of Professional Bee Removers.
CONTACT: harmonyhollowbees@gmail.com
How to Light Your Smoker
(Beginner, Intermediate)
A demonstration on how to light a smoker and keep it going. Included is a discussion of WHY beekeepers use smoke (as opposed to ‘other things’) and what fuels to use. Learn the importance of making sure your smoker is lit before starting to work your bees. You DON’T want to have your smoker go out when you REALLY need it during an inspection of a hive of aggressive bees!
Time/Room
1:00 – 4:00 pm – Ag. Building
Billy Lawton
Billy Lawton got his start in beekeeping from attending programs sponsored by the Central Texas Beekeepers Association. He has been actively keeping or being kept by bees for over 10 years. Mr. Lawton is actively engaged in introducing beekeeping to small property owners around the State.
Kevin Stillman
Kevin Stillman is a professional photographer. He retired from the Texas Highway Department and became a full-time honeybee assistant to his wife Dodie. She only lets him light the smoker, lift heavy boxes, and dispatch old queens, so he’s become very proficient.
How to Ready My Frames
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Learning to read your frames (or top bars) is critical to assess the status of your colony’s queen, resources, and the overall health of the colony. Much of the success of beekeeping is identifying and understanding what you are seeing, which can be hard to do without experience or the help of a mentor. In this class, we will explore the visual story that a colony can convey through photos, videos, and actually assessing empty drawn frames of comb. You’ll walk away more confident in your ability to interpret what is happening in your colonies and make better decisions as a result. Got a photo from your colony that you need help identifying what you see? Email it to Tara in advance of the class and she will include it in her presentation.
Time/Room
3:20 – 4:10 pm – Room 2
Tara Chapman
Tara Chapman is the founder and owner of Two Hives Honey, a full service honey and beekeeping company serving the Austin area for over a decade. Tara started her career working in intelligence for the federal government, but a chance beekeeping class inspired her to quit her job and become a beekeeper. An accomplished speaker and educator, she is asked to speak and educate beekeepers across the United States each year and has taught thousands of beekeepers in her ten-year tenure. She has been featured on the Today Show, VICE Media, Amtrak’s magazine The National, and others. Tara’s beekeeping book, “For the Bees: A Handbook for Happy Beekeeping” was published by the University of Texas Press in November 2024.
CONTACT: tara@twohiveshoney.com
How To Set Up Your Apiary & What to Order
(Beginner)
This class talks about how to decide WHERE to put your hives on your property, as well as some details on HOW to get them ready. We will also cover a succinct list of things you NEED to buy, the things you SHOULD buy, and all the fun extra things you may want to consider getting, but don’t NEED.
Time/Room
1:10 – 2:00 pm – Room 3
Becky Barajas
Becky Barajas has been an avid beekeeper for 13 years. As a passionate educator, she loves to learn and teach all about the amazing bug that she has dedicated her life to, the honey bee. Becky has volunteered her time through dozens of positions within the industry- from local bee clubs to national organizations. She has been the store manager of The Bee Supply in Round Rock since it’s opening in 2023 and loves to travel to 16 different bee clubs all over Central Texas. Her favorite thing about keeping bees is learning everything she can from the bees themselves and sharing everything she’s learned.
CONTACT: becky@thebeesupply.com
Integrated Pest Management
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
This presentation will cover how to control different pests in a honeybee colony using an Integrated Pest Management approach.
Time/Room
12:10 – 1:00 pm – Room 9
Bill Baxter
Bill Baxter is a graduate of Texas A&M with a degree in Animal Science. Bill has had a 35-year career with the Texas Apiary Inspection Services. During the course of Bill’s distinguished career, he has seen the introduction into Texas of tracheal mites, varroa mites and Africanized honey bee.
CONTACT: William.Baxter@ag.tamu.edu
Lastest Research on Varroa Mites
(Intermediate, Advanced)
This talk explores cutting-edge research on Varroa, the parasitic mite that remains one of the leading threats to honey bee colonies worldwide. Topics include advancements in mite-resistant breeding programs, innovative monitoring techniques, and the development of more effective and sustainable treatment strategies.
Time/Room
8:00 – 8:50 am – Room 5
Omar Martinez
Omar Martínez is a Program Extension Specialist in Apiculture with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. He has over 25 years of professional beekeeping experience and holds a Ph.D. in Genetics. His work focuses on honey bee colony management, queen rearing, breeding programs, and improving colony health. Omar works closely with hobbyist, sideline, and commercial beekeepers through hands-on training, research-based education, and extension programs.
CONTACT: omar.martinez@ag.tamu.edu
Live Bee Demonstration
Hive Inspection WITH LIVE BEES (Michelle Pankonien, bees provided by Bear Creek Apiary) –
(Beginner, Intermediate)
Want to put on a bee suit and take a look inside a hive full of bees? This is where it happens. Weather permitting.
NO FLIP FLOPS, SANDALS OR OPEN-TOED SHOES.
Time/Room
1:00 – 4:10 pm – Ag. Building
Michelle Kerr Pankonien
Michelle Pankonien lives in College Station. She is a Master Beekeeper in the Texas Master Beekeeping Program. Michelle utilizes beeswax for her Bee Natural Moisturizer and Heel Balms. She utilizes over 30 years of feeding livestock to help keep her bees have strong nervous systems through better nutrition. She is a treatment free beekeeper who utilizes nutrition and genetic diversity to maintain over 40 honeybee colonies in 6 counties in & around Brazos County.
CONTACT: Michelle@busybeeapiary.net
Saundra Smith
Saundra Smith was an organizing member of both the Brazos Bee Club in College Station and the Denton Bee Club. She currently is a mentor to veterans with Hives for Heroes and is the beekeeper for the hives at the President George W Bush Library in Dallas.
CONTACT: saundr.smith@yahoo.com
Looking Beyond the Obvious
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Most beekeepers pick up the basics of hive management fairly quickly. But truly understanding your bees—and what they’re trying to communicate—can be far more challenging.
In this class, we’ll learn how to train our eyes to look past the obvious signs and recognize what’s coming next. This skill allows us to anticipate problems before they escalate or step in to help our bees avoid them altogether.
Time/Room
9:00 – 9:50 am – Room 9
Chari Elam
Chari Elam and her husband James began their beekeeping journey in 2012, became commercial honey producers in 2014, and continue to this day. As the Content and Education Manager for The Bee Supply, Chari is a passionate writer, educator, and advocate for better beekeeping practices. Often recognized as Blake Shook’s longtime webinar co-host, she has helped bring practical, timely bee education to thousands over the years. Chari frequently speaks at conferences and bee schools, continuing to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with beekeepers of all levels.
CONTACT: chari.elam@desertcreekhoney.com
Making Splits
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
There are dozens of ways to split a hive; most of them have specific uses for WHY you are wanting or needing to split a hive: Increasing the number of hives, preventing swarming, calming down an aggressive hive are just some of those reasons. This class will look at the reasons you might want to split your hives and different methods for accomplishing your goals.
Time/Room
1:10 – 2:00 pm – Room 1
3:20 – 4:10 pm – Room 1
Chari Elam
Chari Elam and her husband James began their beekeeping journey in 2012, became commercial honey producers in 2014, and continue to this day. As the Content and Education Manager for The Bee Supply, Chari is a passionate writer, educator, and advocate for better beekeeping practices. Often recognized as Blake Shook’s longtime webinar co-host, she has helped bring practical, timely bee education to thousands over the years. Chari frequently speaks at conferences and bee schools, continuing to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with beekeepers of all levels.
CONTACT: chari.elam@desertcreekhoney.com
Managing Mean Bees
(Advanced)
When Africanized bees were first brought to South America, it was because they had some traits that were desirable. This program looks at the useful properties that “hot bees” possess as well as how to live and work with them, safely.
Time/Room
8:00 – 8:50 am – Room 4
Tony Andric
Tony Andricis a recovering computer/electrical engineer, addicted beekeeper, makes doors for chickens?, has zero life insurance, lives near Lockhart, Texas (BBQ capital of Texas), old, fat, white, bald, bearded guy (1967 model), married, uses Langstroth mediums only with top entrances, survival genetics & is treatment free.
CONTACT: sales@allmybees.com
Mead 101
(Intermediate, Advanced)
In this lecture, you will learn all about the most ancient of beverages, Mead or Honeywine. What is mead? How old is it? How is it made? All these questions will be answered, and you will also learn how to make your own batch at home.
Time/Room
3:20 – 4:10 pm – Room 5
Jeff Murry
Jeff Murray is co-owner of WildFlyer Mead in Navasota TX. The Wildflyers are a dynamic foursome, composed of a couple of Weavers and a couple Murrays. Jeff is the mead maker. The Artist if you will. He makes the magic happen. By magic, that really means dumping and mixing honey, chopping fruit, etc.
CONTACT: info@wildflyermead.com
Medical Grade Texas Honey; From Hive to Health
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
For thousands of years, honey has been valued as a natural medicine, but modern science is now defining what makes certain honeys truly therapeutic. In this talk, Dr. Ferhat Ozturk explores the concept of medical-grade Texas honeys, focusing on the physicochemical and biological factors that drive antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing activity. Attendees will learn how bioactivity is measured, why not all honeys are medically equivalent, and how high-bioactivity Texas honeys are emerging as evidence-based tools in modern wound care and health applications.
Time/Room
2:10 – 3:00 pm – Room 5
Dr. Ferhat Ozturk
Dr. Ferhat Ozturk is the Project Director of the HONEY Pathway, Co-PI at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), and Associate Professor of Biology at Sul Ross State University International in Eagle Pass, TX. He also serves as the Chief Scientific Officer of MDM Wound Ventures designing EZHoney. Dr. Ozturk earned his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno, with expertise in gene therapy, viral vector development, and biochemistry.
Recognized by the American Beekeeping Federation as a medicinal honey expert, Dr. Ozturk combines a strong biomedical background with a passion for exploring honey’s therapeutic potential. His research investigates the biological and chemical profiles of mono-floral honeys from around the world, aiming to identify high-bioactivity U.S. honeys that rival or surpass current medical-grade options.
Dr. Ozturk leads a $2.9 million USDA-NextGen grant to support the HONEY Pathway, a national initiative to advance medicinal honey research while engaging students in hands-on education focused on local honeys. His work has been featured by Newsweek, Fortune, Science, and numerous local news channels and newspapers.
CONTACT : ferhat.ozturk@UTSA.edu
Natural Methods for Stronger Bees and Happier Beekeeping
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Discover how to grow strong, resilient colonies and thriving apiaries without relying on toxic chemicals or artificial pest control. Learn chemical-free techniques to enhance bee health, produce cleaner honey and comb, and achieve sustainable, cost-effective beekeeping.
Time/Room
2:10 – 3:00 pm – Room 8
Nathalie B.
Nathalie B. is a Master Craftsman beekeeper with 15 years of experience and a thriving operation of 400 colonies that she maintains entirely Treatment-Free. She is a respected international speaker and professional educator, regularly invited to lead trainings and present on speaking tours across the United States, Australia, and Africa.
Nathalie is a dedicated advocate for Horizontal, Natural Beekeeping as a simple, affordable, accessible, and highly manageable approach that is especially well suited to backyard and small-scale beekeepers. An inventor at heart, she designed the easy-to-build Bee Mindful standardized Horizontal Top-Bar Hive and the Bee Mindful Flex Hive, a Langstroth to Top-Bar adapter that streamlines and expands the adoptability of Horizontal Top-Bar Hives by allowing full interchangeability of comb and enabling efficient Top-Bar NUC production by all, including Langstroth beekeepers. Her innovations earned her an invitation to present at Apimondia 2025 in Europe.
Nathalie B. is the founder of Bee Mindful LLC, a full-service beekeeping business based in Austin, Texas.
CONTACT: www.Bee-Mindful.com
Plants For You and Your Bees
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
This session uses bee biology and foraging habits as the foundation for choosing plants for landscapes. Learn which plants you can use to create desirable landscapes that also provide healthy forage for honeybees.
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Time/Room
3:20 – 4:10 pm – Room 6
Michael Vidrine
Michael Vidrine was born and raised on the Texas Gulf coast, but I’ve lived in several different locations and climates as my company moved me around. We have always had orchards and gardens wherever we have lived from Northern Brazil to the Upper Midwest and 3 Locations in Texas. Currently we have a small acreage farm in Brazos county with 200 fruit trees, 100’s of grapes and berries, 50+ pecan trees and a large vegetable garden. I’ve been a beekeeper for 13 years with 10 colonies.
CONTACT: michael.vidrine@gmail.com
Queen Excluders: A Versatile Beekeeping Tool
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
A Versatile Beekeeping Tool- Queen excluders have many uses other than keeping brood out of honey supers. Attend this presentation to learn more… and to find out whether queen excluders are in fact, ‘honey excluders’.
Time/Room
9:00 – 9:50 am – Room 9
Lynne Jones
Lynne Jones is a small-scale beekeeper in Sealy and owner of Brazos River Honey. She serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Fort Bend Beekeepers Association and is a member of the Central Texas Beekeepers Association. She is an original member of the Real Texas Honey program and is currently at the Advanced level of the Texas Master Beekeeper program.
CONTACT: emaillynne@yahoo.com
Re-Queening Your Hive
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
In this class we will be covering when to replace your queen. Then cover a couple of ways to find your queen. Finally covering the process of requeening your colony with a purchased queen.
Time/Room
2:10 – 3:00 pm – Room 9
Dodie Stillman
Dodie Stillman began attending meetings of the Austin Area Beekeepers and Williamson County Area Beekeepers Associations in 2011. She was part of the inaugural class of the Texas Master Beekeepers Program, becoming one of the first seven Master Beekeepers in Texas. Dodie currently serves on the TMBP board. Over the past five years, she worked with the Texas Beekeepers Association board, including serving as president, and is now active on the Legislative Committee and co-chairs the Honey Show. Additionally, she teaches beekeeping classes at Texas Honey Bee Farm and The Bee Supply.
CONTACT: stillmandodie@gmail.com
Robbing and Robbing Screens
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
For the convenience of beekeeping, we often keep our hives together, but this makes it more likely for robbing to occur. Learn to recognize the signs of robbing, how to stop it, and better yet, how to prevent it from ever starting.
Time/Room
2:10 – 3:00 pm – Room 4
Lynne Jones
Lynne Jones is a small-scale beekeeper in Sealy and owner of Brazos River Honey. She serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Fort Bend Beekeepers Association and is a member of the Central Texas Beekeepers Association. She is an original member of the Real Texas Honey program and is currently at the Advanced level of the Texas Master Beekeeper program.
CONTACT: emaillynne@yahoo.com
Selling Honey in Texas: Selling and Labeling-
(Intermediate, Advanced)
Section 437 of the TX Health & Safety Code was revised on September 1, 2025. Learn the new rules for “Honey Production Operation” as well as the new rules for Cottage Food Operator. This class will help you to understand what is required for labeling and selling the honey you get from your hives.
Time/Room
11:10 – 12:00 am – Room 9
Lynne Jones
Lynne Jones is a small-scale beekeeper in Sealy and owner of Brazos River Honey. She serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Fort Bend Beekeepers Association and is a member of the Central Texas Beekeepers Association. She is an original member of the Real Texas Honey program and is currently at the Advanced level of the Texas Master Beekeeper program.
CONTACT: emaillynne@yahoo.com
So You Want To Do Cutouts
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Time/Room
8:00 – 8:50 am – Room 3
Justin Russell
Justin Russell owns and operates Prime Bees in College Station along with his wife, Ashley, where he manages between 1000-1500 colonies of bees and growing. Justin is also the Operations Manager for Desert Creek Pollination who places 50-100,000 hives for beekeepers in the California almonds. He continues to grow his business where he sells live bees, educates, does professional bee removal, manages bees on others’ properties, raises queen bees, and everything in between. Justin is a blunt and practical beekeeper that is focused on results.
CONTACT: justin@primebees.com
Success At Your Farmers Market
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Farmers’ markets are a great way to build your business. Markets allow you to get your farm’s name out to the community. They help you hone your marketing skills, and they are an instant focus group for your products. However, achieving success at farmers’ markets is much more than “piling it high and watching it fly”. Discover how SweetNes Honey Apiaries & Beetique has successfully utilized Farmers Markets to their advantage.
Time/Room
11:10 – 12:00 am – Room 3
Danessa Yaschuk
Danessa Yaschuk, known by many as ‘Nes’ is a sideliner and Master beekeeper. She is the owner of SweetNes Honey Apiaries & Beetique located in Needville, Texas. She and her husband Brent and two sons Benjamin & Nicholas manage approximately 400+ hives located throughout Fort Bend County. She served 5 years as the Vice President of the Fort Bend Beekeepers Association and is now on her second year as the President of the club. Danessa is on the board of Directors for the Real Texas Honey Program and on the Executive Committee for the Texas Beekeepers Association. Not only does she run bees, but she is also an authorized dealer for Mann Lake Bee Supply.
CONTACT: nes@sweetneshoney.com
Swarm Prevention
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Since swarming comes naturally, learn ways to minimize your colonies’ instincts or even promote them and why to consider doing anything at all!
Time/Room
12:10 – 1:00 pm – Room 8
Brandon Fehrenkamp
Brandon Fehrenkamp is the owner of Austin Bees, specializing in bee removals, top bar hives and consulting. Brandon began beekeeping on a whim in 2003 and started doing live removals in 2005. He has extensive experience safely removing hives in densely populated areas. He regularly speaks at schools and events to educate the public, is mentor to the UT Beekeeping Club, Beevo, and manages the glass observation hive at the Austin Nature & Science Center.
CONTACT: austinbeewranglers@gmail.com
Teaching Bees to People (Not the Other Way Around)
(Intermediate, Advanced)
Teaching Bees to People (Not the Other Way Around) is a classroom-based course for educators, guides, and beekeepers who want to teach about honey bees more effectively. Using videos, photos, and real-world examples from the bee yard, this class breaks down a clear, observation-first method for explaining bee behavior, hive dynamics, and seasonal work in a way people actually understand. The focus is on storytelling, sequencing, and showing why bees do what they do — so students leave curious, grounded, and better equipped to learn on their own.
Time/Room
11:10 – 12:00 pm – Room 2
Charlie Agar
Charlie Agar his wife, Kaye, run Charlie Bee Company, a bee school and agritourism site in Seguin offering hands-on classes, tours, and a full range of bees and beekeeping equipment. Charlie and his team manage more than 300 agricultural-lease colonies and handle live honey bee removals and relocations across Central Texas. Their work is featured in the PBS reality series Charlie Bee Company, now playing on PBS stations and streaming at PBS.org.
CONTACT: info@charliebee.com
Texas Apiary Laws
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
This presentation will provide a general introduction to the beekeeping laws of Texas as well as a brief overview of the Texas Apiary Inspection Service.
Time/Room
9:00 – 9:50 am – Room 3
Bill Baxter
Bill Baxter is a graduate of Texas A&M with a degree in Animal Science. Bill has had a 35-year career with the Texas Apiary Inspection Services. During the course of Bill’s distinguished career, he has seen the introduction into Texas of tracheal mites, varroa mites and Africanized honey bee.
CONTACT: William.Baxter@ag.tamu.edu
The Art Of Keeping Bees Healthy And Alive
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Come hear Stan describe his small hive beekeeping technique and how it helps him with spring re-queening and splits while providing extra reserves for nucs and queens.
Time/Room
10:10 – 11:00 am – Room 3
Stan Gore
Stan Gore is a Disciple of Christ, disguised as a Beekeeper in Burton, Texas. Stan works over 100 colonies and Stan and his wife Bev are the founders of Texas Friendly Beekeepers Facebook with over 13,000 private members. The page was started to educate, encourage and equip beekeepers, especially new beekeepers, in a kind, friendly atmosphere (NO ARGUING)– Stan is on the advisory committee for the Central Texas Beekeepers and on the board with Hives For Heroes – an organization that connects Veterans and first responders to beekeeping providing purpose and healthy relationships. Stan is the inventor/developer of Stan’s Soft Sugar Bricks sold by The Bee Supply which has sold close to 30 thousand soft sugar bricks. 100% of Stan’s proceeds from the soft sugar bricks go to help support Hives For Heroes. Stan and his wife Bev also produce Burton Creamed Honey-100% Raw–no chemical honey –(the best creamed honey in the world).
CONTACT: stangore@me.com
The Business of Beekeeping
(Intermediate, Advanced)
Ever thought of turning your beekeeping hobby into a side hustle – or even a full-time business? Join Tara, who has spent the past decade running a successful beekeeping company, as she walks you through the practical steps of turning a business idea into reality. She’ll share the mistakes she’s made, the lessons she’s learned and some best practices that can help you succeed.
Time/Room
10:10 – 11:00 am – Room 6
Tara Chapman
Tara Chapman is the founder and owner of Two Hives Honey, a full service honey and beekeeping company serving the Austin area for over a decade. Tara started her career working in intelligence for the federal government, but a chance beekeeping class inspired her to quit her job and become a beekeeper. An accomplished speaker and educator, she is asked to speak and educate beekeepers across the United States each year and has taught thousands of beekeepers in her ten-year tenure. She has been featured on the Today Show, VICE Media, Amtrak’s magazine The National, and others. Tara’s beekeeping book, “For the Bees: A Handbook for Happy Beekeeping” was published by the University of Texas Press in November 2024.
CONTACT: tara@twohiveshoney.com
The Bee Tree, Beekeeping Taught by Nature
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Make your beekeeping easier and more successful by mimicking the seasonal patterns of the “bee tree” in your beehives. Randy shares the basis for the apiary management protocol that he uses and teaches to achieve natural sustainability in his apiaries.
Time/Room
11:10 – 12:00 pm – Room 8
Randy Oakley
Randy Oakleyhas been practicing the art of beekeeping for almost 50 years. Three generations of the Oakley Family currently help out in the family bee business producing local bees and beehive products as well as teaching others sustainable methods of beekeeping for Texas. They manage 400 colonies along the I35 corridor between Austin and Waco, Texas. More information about their beekeeper training and beehive products can be found at:
CONTACT: www.OakleyFamilyApiaries.com
The Bee Tree, The Vertical Bee Hive Split
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Randy will demonstrate how to make and use a vertical beehive split to increase colony numbers, annual requeen each colony, improve winter survivability requeen africanized colonies, control Varroa mites, increase honey production and manage swarming.
Time/Room
1:10 – 2:00 pm – Room 8
Randy Oakley
Randy Oakley has been practicing the art of beekeeping for almost 50
years. Three generations of the Oakley Family currently help out in the family bee business producing local bees and beehive products as well as teaching others sustainable methods of beekeeping for Texas. They manage 400 colonies along the I35 corridor between Austin and Waco, Texas. More information about their beekeeper training and beehive products can be found at:
CONTACT: www.OakleyFamilyApiaries.com
Thermal Dynamics in the Hive
(Intermediate, Advanced)
In this class we’ll break down how bees heat and cool the hive, why certain temperatures matter so much, and what happens when things get too hot or too cold. We’ll look at brood temperatures, clustering, airflow, humidity, and how hive design influences all of it. You’ll also learn the pros and cons of insulated hives and some practical tips you can use right away to help your bees handle Texas weather.
Time/Room
9:00 – 9:50 am – Room 5
Michael Malton
Michael Malton is a South Texas beekeeper and the owner of Texas Bee Haus. He focuses on practical, real-world beekeeping and uses a mix of hands-on experience and data to understand what’s happening inside the hive. Michael has spent years studying how heat, cold, and humidity affect bees—especially in the extreme Texas climate. He enjoys teaching beekeepers simple, science-backed ways to help their colonies thrive year-round.
CONTACT: mmalton@gmail.com
Top 10 Mistakes Made by Brand New Beekeepers
(Beginner)
There’s a saying that 80% of beekeepers quit by year two. In this class we will explore the most common mistakes new beeks make in their first year of beekeeping and will help you wade through the overwhelming amount of information out there to help you focus on what’s most important as you’re just getting started.
Time/Room
12:10 – 1:00 pm – Room 2
2:10 – 3:00 pm – Room 2
Tara Chapman is the founder and owner of Two Hives Honey, a full service honey and beekeeping company serving the Austin area for over a decade. Tara started her career working in intelligence for the federal government, but a chance beekeeping class inspired her to quit her job and become a beekeeper. An accomplished speaker and educator, she is asked to speak and educate beekeepers across the United States each year and has taught thousands of beekeepers in her ten-year tenure. She has been featured on the Today Show, VICE Media, Amtrak’s magazine The National, and others. Tara’s beekeeping book, “For the Bees: A Handbook for Happy Beekeeping” was published by the University of Texas Press in November 2024.
CONTACT: tara@twohiveshoney.com
Trouble Shooting a Failing Hive
(Intermediate, Advanced)
Beekeepers lose about 40% of their colonies, on average, each year. This class will help you look at these reasons, and help to identify what is going on and, if possible, how to correct the problem.
Time/Room
9:00 – 9:50 am – Room 3
Ashley Ralph
Ashley Ralph owns Prime Bees in College Station along with her husband, Justin, where she raises queens, hosts educational events, and manages bees throughout the surrounding areas. Her passion for bees grew rapidly after getting their first bee package and she enjoys learning and sharing about honeybees with anybody who will listen. Ashley is a Texas Master Beekeeper because she thought it would be an efficient and fun way to learn more about bees – she was right, it has led to an adventure in continuous learning.
CONTACT: ashley@primebees.com
Urban Beekeeping
(Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
This talk delves into urban beekeeping, exploring its benefits, challenges, and best practices. Topics include the role of urban landscapes in
providing diverse forage, the importance of hive placement for minimizing conflicts with neighbors, and strategies for maintaining healthy colonies in city environments.
Time/Room
1:10 – 2:00 pm – Room 6
Garett Slater
Dr. Garett Slater has 18 years of beekeeping experience. In 2022, he obtained his PhD from Purdue University. In 2024, he became an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University as the state’s Apiculture Extension Specialist. Garett’s current research focuses on developing cheap genomic tools to help beekeepers select bees for natural defenses towards Varroa, pathogens, and other diseases. Additionally, Garett provides extension support to beekeepers across the state.
CONTACT: garett.slater@ag.tamu.edu
Using a Drone to find Drone Congregation Areas
(Intermediate, Advanced)
Ever wonder where a queen goes during her mating flights? Or why there is no inbreeding in your colonies? This presentation delves into the fascinating world of honey bee mating, drones, and DCAs. It then provides guidance on setting up and utilizing an unmanned aerial system, or drone, to locate DCAs and map them on the MapMyDCA.com website.
Time/Room
10:10 – 11:00 am – Room 4
Dodie Stillman
Dodie Stillman began attending meetings of the Austin Area Beekeepers and Williamson County Area Beekeepers Associations in 2011. She served as president of the Austin club, and is currently the program director for the WCABA club. She was part of the inaugural class of the Texas Master Beekeepers Program, becoming one of the first five Master Craftsman level Beekeepers in Texas. Dodie currently serves on the TMBP board. Over the past six years, she worked with the Texas Beekeepers Association board, including serving as president, and is now active on the Legislative Committee and co-chairs the TBA Honey Show.
CONTACT: stillmandodie@gmail.com
What Can Make Bees Sick
(Intermediate, Advanced)
We will discuss various pathogens that can cause disease in the honey bee host, prevalence, identification, and possible treatment options, if available. Discussion will also include use of immune priming of queen to provide protection to the colony.
Time/Room
10:10 – 11:00 am – Room 7
Tonya Shepherd
Tonya Shepherd received her B.S. from the University of Evansville in biochemistry and received her Ph.D. in Medical Science from Texas A&M University, College of Medicine, Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology department. In 2017, she joined Dr. Juliana Rangel Honey Bee Lab in the Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, and is currently working as a Research Specialist.
CONTACT: Tonya.Shepherd@ag.tamu.edu
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