Utah Beekeepers' Association

Note: All copies of presentations linked below are used with permission of the authors. Further reproduction of these documents and recordings requires permission of the applicable authors.

Items from past conferences:

2025

• Speakers: Blake Shook (Topics: A Year in the Life of a Beekeeper - The Good, Bad, and Ugly; Building and Selling Nucs; Summer Hive Care). Dr Brandon Hopkins (Topics: Improved Honey Bee Supplemental Nutrition; Three Years of Stabilized Oxalic Trials for Varroa Control). Chad Droubay (Topic: Farm Bureau Insurance). Joey Caputo and Jenna Crowder (Topic: UDAF Status Report). Dr E Sabo (Topic: Proposed Beekeeper-Veterinarian Rule). Korhan Kaftanoglu (Topic: Apimaye Hive). Nathan Reid (Topic: HiveIQ). UBA Board (Topic: Q and A)

• Video-recordings of presentations for members only.

2024

• Speakers: Dr. Rebecca Masterman  (Topics: honey production, history & habitat; minding bees and cues; drama queens). Dr. Dewey Carron (Topic: Honey Bee Health Coalition and how it can assist the beekeeper). Dr. Diana Cox-Foster (Topic: Understanding Impacts of Climate and Floral Resources on Bee Health for Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Solitary Bees). Cliff Russell (Topic: Farm Service Agency and disaster assistance for beekeepers. Curt Hadley, (Topic: Driftwatch and coordination between beekeepers and pesticide applicators.

• Video-recordings of presentations for members only.

2023

• Keynote speakers: Michael Palmer of French Hill Apiaries (Topic: brood factories);  Dr. Tracy Farone, DVM, Professor of Biology at Grove City College in Pennsylvania (Topics: a vaccine for American Foulbrood, Varroa management), Dr. Erika Plettner, Professor of Chemistry (Topic: A new technology for Varroa mite control), Blaine Nay, County Bee Inspector for Washington and Iron Counties and advisor for the Iron County 4-H Beekeeping Club (Topics: honey bee diseases, pests, biology, behavior), and Joey Caputo and Jenna Crowder (Status of bee health in Utah) Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. 

• Video-recordings of presentations for members only.

2022

• Keynote speaker: Matt Halbegachws. Beekeeping in Matt’s family is traced back to the mid 1400’s, most recently, Matt’s grandfather and dad were beekeepers until the 1990’s. Since purchasing Sweet River Honey -- a multi-state pollination and honey production company -- in 2015, many in the industry have been kind enough to help, mentor, advise, and teach. With this help and mentorship, Sweet River Honey has doubled in size over the last five years and Matt looks forward to the opportunity to serve AHPA as the honeybee industry continues to grow. 
• Keynote speaker: Sam Comfort of Anarchy Apiaries. After winning 6 hives in a poker game, Sam worked for several years in commercial beekeeping across America. He started Anarchy Apiaries in 2005 to explore permaculture ideas of low input natural cycles. He breeds queens from hardy survivors, experiments with splitting techniques, and messes around with hive designs. Anarchy Apiaries runs around 1000 hives that split seasonally into 2000 mating nucs with no treatments, minimal feeding, and do-it-yourself hive boxes in New York and Florida. 
• Joey Caputo and Jenna Crowder of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food spoke on the status of honey bees in the state. 
• Mike Browning - Crop loss insurance.
• Video-recordings of presentations for members only.

2021

• Keynote Speaker: Thomas Seeley spoke on the story of the honey bee in the wild, how a honey bee swarm choses its home, and bait hives (ow to get high quality bees).
• Keynote Speaker: Randy Oliver spoke on mite control, recent research on pollen substitutes and probiotics, and work in progress.
  
• Keynote Speaker: Ian Steppler spoke on single brood chamber management.
• Joey Caputo of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food spoke on the status of honey bees in the state.
• Greg Burns spoke on DYI bucket feeders.
• DW Shoenthal spoke on beekeeping hacks, swarms, cut outs, trap outs, and DIY tools.
• Dave Bassenger spoke on how to get your honey labeled as organic.
• Mike Browning - Crop loss insurance.
• Video-recordings of presentations for members only.

2020

• Keynote Speaker: David Burns spoke on colony management.
• Steve Stanko and Joey Caputo spoke on the status of beekeeping in Utah.
• Richard Homer spoke on progressing from backyard beekeeper to commercial beekeeper.
• Rebecca Nielson spoke on bottling and labeling your honey.
• Corporal Justin Cloward of the Utah Highway Patrol spoke on the laws of transporting bees.
• Video-recordings of presentations for members only.
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2019

• Keynote Speaker: Mel Disselkoen spoke on honey bee behavior and On The Spot Queen Rearing (OTS).
• Katharina Davitt, Oregon State University Master Beekeeper Instructor, spoke on wax moths, bananas as a nutritional source for honey bees, and controlling yellow jackets.
• Scott Brady spoke on BroodSafe, a new product using phages to control for American Foulbrood.
• Derick Despain of the Utah State University Extension in Milford spoke on winter feeding of honey bees.
• Joey Caputo of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food spoke on the status of honey bee health and inspections in Utah.
• Peter Somers spoke on the disappearance of honey bee colonies.

2018

• Keynote Speaker: Dr. Meaghan Milbrath of Michigan State University spoke on http://msutoday.msu.edu/360/2015/meghan-milbrath-honeybees-and-pollinators/queen rearing in the age of Varroa, pollinators and pesticides, successful over-wintering, treatment-free beekeeping, and establishing colony sustainability in the first year.
• James Rehm of Smoot Honey spoke about his family honey operation in Montana and their marketing program.
• Joey Caputo of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food reported on bee inspections and honey bee health in Utah for 2017.
• Jerry Stoddard, Past President, gave a presentation on making candy boards.
• Blaine Nay, Bee Inspector from Iron County, spoke on honey bee health challenges.

2017

• Keynote Speaker: Dr. Keith Delaplane of the University of Georgia gave two presentations. Slides are not available.
• Stephen Coy gave two presentations on Russian honey bees. Day 1 slides. Day 2 slides.
• Diana Cox-Foster spoke about the health of honey bees and native bees.
• Jerry Shue spoke about feral honey bees in Southeastern Utah.
• Representatives from the Utah Department of Agriculture and foods gave three presentations. Noxious weeds in Utah, Regulations related to honey, and Summary of State Beekeeper efforts in 2016.
• Earl Hoffman spoke on the use of microbials in combating honey bee diseases.
• Al Chubak gave a presentation on the history of beekeeping in Utah.
• Dean Hanniball solicited "Audacious Ideas" for consideration by the Association.
• Daniel Odutan spoke at the annual banquet about modern beekeeping in Nigeria. He is Author of the Beekeeper's Illustrated Field Guide.
• Note: The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food held its 2017 Honey Bee Health Conference on November 30th, 2017 at Weber State University. Video from that conference is available here.

2016

• Keynote Speaker: Patrick Heitkam - Many years ago, Pat Heitkam operated a bike shop and once received a bee hive as payment. Now, thousands of colonies later, he provides pollination for almonds and produces queens for beekeepers around the world. He is past president of the American Beekeeping Federation.
• Apis M by Danielle Downey (PDF of PowerPoint presentation)
• Queen-Rearing at Heitkam's Honey Bees by Patrick Heitkam (PDF of PowerPoint presentation)
• Veterinary Feed Directive (Anitbiotics) by Joey Caputo, Utah State Apiarist (PDF of PowerPoint presentation)
• American Honey Producers Assn by Darrin Cox (PDF of PowerPoint presentation)
• Varroa Mite Treatment by Michael Stephenson (PDF of PowerPoint presentation)
• Evolution at Heitkams' Honeybees by Patrick Heitkam (PDF of PowerPoint presentation)

2015

• Honey Bee Health by Dr.Jerry Hayes, PhD (PDF of PowerPoint presentation)
• Honey Bee Diseases and Pests by Blaine Nay, Iron County Bee Inspector (PDF of PowerPoint presentation)

For information on the next conference, click here.