Utah Beekeepers' Association

As Currently Organized since 1892; Serving and Representing Utah's Beekeepers Since the Early 1860's.
Mission Statement: Our aim is to keep beekeepers in the state of Utah informed about what is happening in the industry; to promote beekeeping and honey production for all Commercial, Sideliner and Hobbyist Beekeepers.

Utah Beekeepers' Conventions

The Utah Beekeepers' Association hosts an annual convention for its members of all skill levels. This is a great place to learn the ins and outs of beekeeping from the pros. All association members are welcome and encouraged to attend. These meetings are generally held in the Salt Lake area during the winter months. Association membership is required to attend and is offered at no charge to paid-up members. Having your beekeeper's license is good, but it doesn't give you membership in the Association or participation in our conference.

The next convention will be February 23-24, 2024 at Hyatt Place Cottonwood Hotel (3090 E 6200 S, Salt Lake City). We also plan to make the convention available to members online via Zoom (link to be provided after registration).

Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Becky Masterman. Her enthusiasm for honey bees began during an undergraduate entomology class visit to Dr. Basil Furgala’s University of Minnesota Bee Lab apiary. Becky went on to study the neuroethology of honey bee hygienic behavior under Dr. Marla Spivak’s direction and obtained a PhD in 2000. After a career in real estate, Becky returned to the UMN Bee Lab in 2012 and led the Bee Squad program from 2013-2019. She served the Minnesota Honey Producers Association as a Director from 2016-2022 and currently heads their Habitat and Membership Committees. Becky manages her own apiaries, co-writes the monthly Minding Your Bees and Cues article for Bee Culture Magazine, and recently started co-hosting the Beekeeping Today Podcast.

We will also hear from Dr. Dewey Carron who is Emeritus Professor of Entomology & Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, and Affiliate Professor and Content/Communications specialist for the Oregon Master Beekeeper program, Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University. He had professional appointments at Cornell (1968-70), University of Maryland (1970-81) and University of Delaware 1981-2009, serving as Department chairman for the last 2 years. He spent a sabbatical year at the USDA Tucson lab 1977-78 and had 2 Fulbright awards for Africanized bee projects in Panama and Bolivia. Dr. Caron retired from the University of Delaware in 2009 and moved to Portland, Oregon to be closer to grandkids. In retirement he remains active in bee education, writing for newsletters (including ABF Quarterly), giving Bee Short Courses, assisting in several Master Beekeeper programs and giving presentations to local, state and regional bee clubs. He is author of Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping and The Complete Bee Handbook, and major author of several Honey Bee Health Coalition publications including Tools for Varroa Management. He is currently completing a USDA APHIS Bee MD web program.

The agenda is here.

To register for the 2024 convention, pay your dues first, then go to here to register for the event. (Note: If you get a message that says, "Event registration is not available", contact the webmaster.)

Due to the hotel restrictions, seating will be limited to 100. We therefore will not have room for non-member guests at the convention itself (paid guests are welcome to the Friday-night dinner).

Bring a small jar of your 2023 honey for the honey tasting table.

Hyatt Place Cottonwood is offering discounted rooms for this event (discount expires January 15). To reserve your room call (801) 890-1285 or go to www.Hyatt.com and click on "Book Now". Our "Corporate or Group Code" is G-B24. Find more info about the hotel here.

Note: If you try to register for an event before paying your 2024 dues, you will get a message saying, "Event registration is not available due to event settings". So, pay your 2024 dues first.

2023 speakers included 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.

2022 convention speakers included 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. Also speaking was 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, and Joey Caputo and Jenna Crowder (Status of bee health in Utah) Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

2021 convention speakers included Dr. Thomas Seeley, Professor in Biology Emeritus at Cornell University, Randy Oliver (Scientific Beekeeping), entomologist, researcher, and commercial beekeeper, Ian Steppler (Canadian Beekeeper's Blog). third-generation farmer and long-time commercial beekeeper in the harsh climate of Manitoba, Canada, Greg Burns of Nature’s Image FarmsDW Shoenthal of Blue Green Horizons, and Joey Caputo, Stephen Stanko, and Dave Basinger of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

2020 convention speakers included David Burns (Colony Management), Richard Homer (Backyard beekeeper to Commercial Beekeeper), Rebecca Nielsen (Bottling and Labeling Your Honey), and Joey Caputo and Steve Stanko of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

2019 convention speakers included Mel Disselkoen (On-the-Spot queen-rearing); Scott Brady (An update on the phages for treatment of Foulbrood); Katharina Davitt (Waxmoth, Yellow Jackets); Peter Somers (Why colonies disappear); Deric Despain (Research in winter feeding).

2018 convention speakers included Dr. Meghan Milbrath of the Michigan State University Department of Entomology; James Rehm of Smoot Honey; Joey Caputo of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food; James Stoddard, Commercial Beekeeper, Bob Newswander, Commercial Beekeeper; and Blaine Nay, County Bee Inspector for Iron County.

2017 convention speakers included Dr. Keith Delaplane of the University of Georgia; Stephen Coy, Russian Bee Breeders Association; Diana Cox-Foster, USDA-ARS Pollinating Insect Research Unit; Ed Irvine, USDA; Bob Newswander, Utah Commercial Beekeeper; and Roger Stephenson, Utah Commercial Beekeeper.

Click here for items from past conventions.

Other organizations with upcoming conventions of possible interest to Utah beekeepers:

California State Beekeepers, Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa, 14-16 Nov 2023

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