2026 Illinois State Beekeepers Association Summer Meeting
will be hosted by the
Prairie State Beekeepers
June 12th - 14th, 2026

Location

The conference will be hosted at Lincoln Land Community College at the Kreher Agriculture Center with hands on presentations at the West Lake Nature Grove Apriary.

Accommodations 

A block of rooms has been reserved and discounted at the Country Inn and Suites, 3092 Adlai Stevenson Drive, Springfield, IL 62703, (217)544-4515.

Topics

  • Queen rearing 
  • Spring management zone 5
  • Summer management 
  • Fall management
  • Non varroa pest control and management
  • Disease identification and control and management
  • Feeding syrup, sugar, protein, biotics
  • Varroa control and management
  • Candles, wax figures production
  • Using Bee products in cosmetics: Lotions, balms, etc
  • Preparing for honey events/competition
  • How to build and manage a small bee business
  • Making oxalic strips
  • Making protein patties
  • Making sugar water
  • Making woodenware
  • Woman in beekeeping
  • Youth in beekeeping
  • ADA in beekeeping
  • Dealing with laying worker colonies
  • Queen banking for spring/summer/winter
  • Purchasing nucs/packages
  • Purchasing queens
  • How to read a frame
  • How to evaluate a queen and colony
  • Intro to Fermentables: Mead & Beer
  • Treatment Free Beekeeping - maintaining your beekeeping
  • Treatment Free beekeeping - Splits for management
  • Beyond the hive beekeeping products and marketing
  • Expanding the apiary
  • How to catch swarms
  • Cottage Food Laws and Honey House