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For the Love of Bees
By: Becky Masterman
Beekeepers keep a threat list based on beekeeping experiences. The longer you have been a beekeeper, the lengthier your list of beekeeping menaces might be. Some might include varroa or habitat issues, while others are worried about the next threat to North American beekeeping and what we need to do to protect our colonies, businesses and the critical pollination services provided by honey bees (please see John Miller’s current article). Regardless of where we are in the beekeeping world, for those who persevere, our love of beekeeping and honey bees keeps us going, despite this list of threats that need to be addressed. In this bad news beekeeping era with high colony losses and low honey prices, celebrating the good can help us deal with the bad. Read on to cheer the good!
The 2026 beekeeping year started with beekeepers leaving their bees at home (yes, it is difficult to leave home even if your colonies are packed in snow and you can’t open them!) and coming together to explore management strategies, research, innovation, varroa control (of course!) and ways to support the industry. The American Beekeeping Federation (ABF – https://abfnet.org/) Conference was held in Mobile, Alabama on January 6th-10th and the North American Honey Bee Expo (NAHBE – https://www.nahbexpo.com/) took place in Louisville, Kentucky on January 8th-10th. Congratulations to the attendees of these two gatherings!
In addition to beekeepers journeying, so did honey bee scientists. The American Association for Professional Apiculturists (AAPA – https://aapa.us.org/) held their annual meeting, the American Bee Research Conference (ABRC) at the site of the ABF Conference. The ABRC is a chance for the honey bee research community to come together and present their latest research to a room full of bee lab leaders and graduate students. These critical meetings not only provide a space for scientists to catch up on new data about colony health, but it facilitates collaboration and support among those who are helping our colonies. We are fortunate that the brilliant minds of our honey bee researchers belong to kind and generous human beings who work so well together. Thank you to the honey bee research community!
Photo credit: (left) Rebecca Masterman (right) Katie Lee
While attending NAHBE 2026 as a part of my co-host duties with the Beekeeping Today Podcast, I identified an extra special subset of early 2026 convention attendees. Let’s call these exceptional individuals the Simultaneous Bee Conference Attendees or (SBCA). Although I am confident that I did not identify all SBCAs, I am happy to share some positive information about the ones that I know.
Randy Oliver
Scientist, beekeeper, queen breeder, author and I think one of the most generous suppliers of bee knowledge I know, Randy Oliver, presented at NAHBE and then traveled to present at ABF. Audience members at each conference learned about the latest research data generated by Randy. Randy also spent time after presentations and at the conference speaking to the readers of his articles and those who depend on his website (https://scientificbeekeeping.com/) to help them keep their colonies and apiaries healthy. Thank you to Randy Oliver for supporting bees and beekeepers!
Stephanie Slater and Tracy Malterer
Let’s hear it for Wisconsinites Stephanie and Tracy. These dedicated beekeepers Winter road tripped from Wisconsin to ABF in Alabama (stopping to visit an apiary in Mississippi along the way) and then traveled to NAHBE in Kentucky. While this journey is impressive alone, Slater also entered both the ABF and NAHBE honey shows. And she brought home ribbons from each show. Beekeeper vacations are often like no others and hopefully these two travelers have inspired some of you to find a friend and make the most of one or two beekeeping conferences. Combining friendship, the opportunity of a honey show to highlight the products of your bees and maximizing your beekeeping education with a cross country trip can create memories of a lifetime. Way to go, Stephanie and Tracy!
Photo credit: Tammy Malterer (left) and Stephanie Slater (right)
David Peck, PhD
David Peck earned his PhD from Cornell University researching varroa mites but has been putting his expertise to use by helping beekeepers. He was hired by Betterbee (https://www.betterbee.com/) as their Director of Research and Education. David helps beekeepers by his presence in both the research and education worlds. Peck started his Winter conference tour by attending the ABRC at ABF to research the latest in bee science before travelling to NAHBE to research the latest beekeeper needs and help with solutions. Thanks to Dr. Peck for helping beekeepers solve problems with science-based solutions!
New to the Bee Scene
In this article of gratitude, it seems appropriate to mention two recent efforts to help the beekeepers and their world. Check out the BeeCAUSE Alliance (https://beecausealliance.org/) and their efforts to promote and protect beekeepers at a national level. Also, keep your eyes on the already uber productive Apiculture Extension professionals and their recent efforts to provide even more programs, resources and evidence-based beekeeping support through the Apiculture Extension Educators of America (AEEA – bee-educated.org).
Good News and Gratitude
Beekeepers and the beekeeping industry aren’t perfect, but there is enough talent, goodwill and energy to move everyone forward. While you go over your beekeeping threat list, look for help and the opportunity to be a part of solutions and work that keep honey bees and beekeeping healthy. It is okay to keep your eye on what isn’t working but be aware of the tremendous efforts that are being made to support and participate in the beekeeping world. And now is not a bad time to figure out how to spend more time in the beekeeping community. For the love of bees, we need you.
