Please join us February 22, 2025 beginning at 8:00am(est) (may change) for a live and interactive conference featuring dynamic and exciting speakers. Registered attendees will receive one year of group membership to the Sustainable Beekeepers Guild of Michigan which includes a complimentary six-month digital subscription to the Natural Bee Husbandry magazine, access to conference recordings, access to our local lending library, American Bee Journal/Bee Culture subscription Discounts, and much more!
Featured Speakers
Speakers, titles, and speaker times are subject to change. Attendees will have access to recordings so attendance for the entire day is not required.
Featured Speakers
Dr. Samantha Alger is a pollinator ecologist and Research Assistant Professor at the University of Vermont (UVM). Her work focuses on improving the health of both managed honey bees and wild pollinators through research, education, and outreach. She is the director of the Vermont Bee Lab, where she explores disease ecology and interactions between bee species, including how viruses are transmitted through shared floral resources. In addition to her academic role, Dr. Alger has consulted on pollinator health and has testified on legislation related to neonicotinoid pesticide regulation.
Martin Gabel is a German researcher and co-author of the book Summer Brood Interruption for Vital Honey Bee Colonies: Towards Sustainable Varroa Control Using Biotechnical Methods. This book outlines innovative methods for controlling Varroa destructor, a major parasite affecting honey bees, using natural beekeeping strategies rather than relying solely on chemical treatments.
The book describes three key techniques for interrupting the brood cycle during the summer, which can help manage varroa infestations: brood removal, queen caging, and the use of trapping combs. These methods are grounded in bee biology and offer beekeepers practical tools to reduce varroa levels while aligning with environmental and consumer demands for sustainable beekeeping practices.
Dr. Nuria Morfin is a honey bee researcher and leads the Technology Transfer Program in British Columbia, where she applies her extensive expertise to support the beekeeping community through research, education, and outreach. With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Morfin’s work spans integrated pest management (IPM), honey bee pathology, and selective breeding.
Dr. Morfin earned her PhD from the University of Guelph at the Honey Bee Research Centre. There, she investigated the lipidome and metabolome profiles of bees and contributed to research bridging science and industry. She has also served as a Bee Inspector for Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Today, she continues to engage in cutting-edge apicultural research and extension work in Canada, including training beekeepers in queen rearing and IPM practices.
Dr. Melissa Oddie is a honey bee researcher focused on improving the resilience of honey bee populations to the Varroa destructor mite. Her work involves studying behavioral traits in bees that suppress mite populations. Her studies in Norway, comparing stocks have provided valuable data for developing sustainable beekeeping practices. This work is part of broader efforts to understand and utilize social immunity in bees to improve their survival and health long-term. This presentation will explain the results of 4-years of selection on the Carniolan bees of Hurdal, Norway. We’ll cover what was done well, and what could be improved upon. This project will hopefully provide valuable insight for people looking to begin responsible breeding efforts with their own local stock.
David Tarpy is a Professor of Entomology and the Extension Apiculturist at North Carolina State University since 2003. As Extension Apiculturist, he maintains an apiculture web site dedicated to the dissemination of information and understanding of honey bees and their management, spearheads numerous extension projects, such as the Beekeeper Education & Engagement System (BEES)—an exciting online learning resource for knowledge and understanding of bees and beekeeping—and the Queen & Disease Clinic for beekeepers to quantify queen quality and colony pathogens.
Practical advice on queen rearing, grafting, and management to stack the deck in favor of high-quality queens. Based on empirical research, provides tangible take-home advice for all stages of queen rearing for beekeepers of all experience levels.
Dr. Kirsten Traynor is a honey bee biologist and author with a deep focus on pollinator health, honey bee behavior, and the impacts of pesticides. Dr. Traynor earned her Ph.D. in biology at Arizona State University, where she studied honey bee social behavior and communication. Her academic path included a Fulbright Fellowship in France, where she researched pesticides’ effects on honey bees, and a postdoctoral position at the University of Maryland, focusing on bee health and nutrition.
Brandon Michael Simmons is a third-generation beekeeper and the owner of Foothills Farm & Apiary, based in North Carolina. With over 20 years of experience in beekeeping, he has dedicated his career to sustainable honey bee breeding. His work focuses on improving honey bee genetics through advanced techniques like artificial insemination and selective breeding to enhance traits such as disease resistance and hygienic behavior.
Brandon’s breeding program is recognized for promoting sustainable, chemical-free practices and prioritizing colony health and resilience. He actively integrates research into his work, studying genetic factors that influence honey bee behavior and traits. In addition to his breeding initiatives, he is passionate about educating the beekeeping community and expanding outreach efforts to support sustainable agriculture.
Virtual Conference Purpose
SBGMI was founded out of a desire to see an alternative to the permeation of prophylactic and systemic chemical treatment education and practice for mites (Varroa destructor) in modern beekeeping. The simple objective is to equip beekeepers with knowledge to reduce the dependence on these toxic interventions and facilitate sustainable beekeeping that trends toward better bred bees. We strive to ensure our members receive the support, resources, and opportunities needed to prosper along with their bees. This conference serves to bring together those who know, those who want to grow, and those curious about the path toward treatment-free beekeeping and sustainability in their own apiary!
You will learn from beekeepers who are successfully keeping bees in a manner that is within the spirit of the SBGMI Mission. You will also learn about core principles from our speakers on best practices, grow your apiary sustainably while focusing on a better bred bees. This conference will provide you with a new perspective, tools, and inspiration to implement the same into your current practice. Whether you are just starting out or looking to make some changes, these speakers will equip you with new and refreshed tools to better your practice and apiary! Our speakers are of good repute and plan to share their habits and philosophies that have enabled them to replicate success in their own apiaries while striving and achieving sustainability.
(includes annual individual SBGMI membership for new members, access to conference digital recording, 6-month NBH subscription, discounts on ABJ, Bee Culture, Premier Bee Products, ABC Master Academy, Cutler Bee Supply, Napoleon Bee Supply plus more)
Price increases to $55.00 effective December 15th, 2024
SBGMI Members Receive $20.00 Discount on registration
ALL TICKET HOLDERS RECEIVE ACCESS TO DIGITAL CONFERENCE RECORDING!