Last month a member of the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture had the privilege of attending the Eastern Apicultural Society Conference in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The conference was a fantastic learning and networking event. Attending conferences outside of your region provides a beneficial opportunity to better understand the similarities and differences that exist between regions, and to hear beekeepers’ experiences from across the globe. This week’s blog will share some conference highlights, and also some of the knowledge exchanged with the Maritime beekeeping region.
Review of the Eastern Apicultural Society Conference 2026 (Shepherdsville, Kentucky)
Over 300 beekeepers and industry representatives from over
30 states gathered in Shepherdsville, KY between July 26th and July 31st to
learn about beekeeping practices and research both in the classroom and in the
apiary.
With a busy conference those in attendance had to prioritize
what they wanted to learn about each day. The EAS conference had options for
everyone with sessions categorized into beginner, intermediate and advanced
levels. Additionally, there were options for hands-on training in the apiary
and a unique opportunity to attend queen production workshops.
The queen production workshop series was led by Leslie Huston. Leslie is a small-scale queen producer from Connecticut with over 20 years of experience. The workshop series started with an introduction to queen production and reviewed the various methods available for beekeepers to produce queens including the use of swarm cells, queenless splits, the Miller method and the Doolittle method. The Doolittle method was the focus of learning over the next two days. Leslie discussed the options of using the queen confinement method or grafting practices to produce queens. Over a two-day period the group of participants would prepare a Cloake board colony, practice grafting and have the opportunity to graft young larvae to place into the Cloake board colony.
While in the apiary, there was a unique opportunity to
discuss differences in pest and disease profiles and management practices
across North America. For example, small hive beetle is a common beekeeping
pest in the state of Kentucky but in the Maritime region this pest is reportable
and rarely found in colonies. It was interesting to hear about how some
challenges beekeepers face are similar across large geographic areas, but other
challenges are more unique and isolated to a specific region.
During the third day of the conference there was an
opportunity to tour a local apiary. Approximately fifty conference attendees
boarded a bus to visit Chesak’s Honey Farm. The honey farm is owned by Don
Chesak (a sideliner beekeeper in Kentucky). Don gave an overview of his many unique hive
modifications that work for his operation. Don emphasizes efficient workflow
that reduces labour and maximizes hive health. Don is also an avid swarm
catcher and utilizes the honey bees natural urge to swarm to grow his
operation.
During the fourth day of the conference Dr. Clare Rittschof
presented on “Learning about Social Behaviour from the Honey Bee”. Dr.
Rittschof discussed how honey bees live in intricate societies where
individuals pay close attention to their nestmates and environmental
conditions. Honey bees require advanced learning and memory capabilities to be
productive as a unit, and these abilities are closely tied to their health. Dr.
Rittschof discussed her research on robbing behaviour and how this increases
aggression in both guard bees and foraging bees. Additionally, she discussed
how during dearth conditions foraging honey bees have a greater risk tolerance
for injury with the ultimate goal of providing for the colony.
Dr. Michael Simone-Finstorm
(United States Department of Agriculture) presented on integrated pest
management of Varroa mites with a focus on breeding and treatment strategies.
Dr. Simone-Finstorm discussed the role that honey bee genetics, monitoring and
treatments all have on managing Varroa mites. His research has looked at the
efficacy of various Varroa mite treatments including NarroaTM and
VarroxSan, and he has studied how various genetic lines of honey bees are more
hygienic and, therefore, better at managing Varroa mite infestations.
Additionally, Dr.
Simone-Finstorm presented a second time on how propolis can be used to prevent
pests and diseases. Rough surfaces on hive bodies promote propolis production
and what was found in Dr. Simone-Finstorm’s research is that colonies that
produced extra propolis had a reduced molecular load of European Foulbrood.
However, it was noted that under stress conditions the extra propolis
production has minimal impact on the health of colonies.
For the honey enthusiast,
there were multiple workshops and events throughout the conference focused on
marketing and utilizing honey. Workshops
and events included cooking with honey, medicinal uses of honey, infusing
honey, multiple honey tastings, a honey exchange and a honey show (nearly a
70-year tradition).
During the final day of the
conference the annual business meeting of the Eastern Apicultural Society was
held. Additionally, this was the final opportunity to visit the tradeshow which
consisted of nearly 50 vendors.
The EAS Conference 2026
provided an excellent opportunity to build practical skills, hear about current
research, and connect with beekeepers across North America. Discussions of queen
production, pest management, and colony health provided valuable information for
the Maritime region. Overall, the conference highlighted the importance of
ongoing education and science-based management to support the beekeeping industry. A big thanks to all those who organized and facilitated this year's conference!
Connecting with ATTTA Specialists
If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:
visit our website at https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/
Email attta@perennia.ca