Events
Northern Illinois
No events scheduled at this time in the Northern Region
Downstate Illinois
November 5, 2022 - ISBA Annual Fall Meeting - Springfield, Illinois
The key to a thriving and productive colony all points back to the queen and the ability of the queen and the colony overall to adapt to the continuous and different stresses throughout the year
The presentations by Jim Tew, Ian Steppler and Adam Dolezal should be of interest to beginner and experienced beekeepers alike in listening to and understanding what the colony is saying to them.
The main take away from the meeting should enable you to better comprehend what is going on in the colony, why and what (if anything) you can do to help the bees thrive and survive.
More information on the presenters, the topics of their presentations and how to purchase tickets is detailed below:
The presentations by Jim Tew, Ian Steppler and Adam Dolezal should be of interest to beginner and experienced beekeepers alike in listening to and understanding what the colony is saying to them.
The main take away from the meeting should enable you to better comprehend what is going on in the colony, why and what (if anything) you can do to help the bees thrive and survive.
More information on the presenters, the topics of their presentations and how to purchase tickets is detailed below:
Ticket Price:
$50 Per Person for ISBA Member or ISBA Family Member***
$40 Per Person for ISBA Member or ISBA Family Member - U.S. Veteran or U.S. Active Military***
$65 Per Person for non ISBA member***
*** If ticket(s) are purchased before 4 PM on October 29,2022, each ticket will include your choice on one of the complimentary box lunches.
*** After the 10/29/2022 4 PM deadline, ticket purchases will not include lunch. So purchase your ticket(s) early.
$50 Per Person for ISBA Member or ISBA Family Member***
$40 Per Person for ISBA Member or ISBA Family Member - U.S. Veteran or U.S. Active Military***
$65 Per Person for non ISBA member***
*** If ticket(s) are purchased before 4 PM on October 29,2022, each ticket will include your choice on one of the complimentary box lunches.
*** After the 10/29/2022 4 PM deadline, ticket purchases will not include lunch. So purchase your ticket(s) early.
To purchase one or more tickets via the EventBee website click on the Orange "Buy Ticket" Button you see below or elsewhere on this webpage.
All tickets must be purchased online in advance of the start of the meeting at 8 AM on 11/5/2022.
Tickets can be purchased via:
Tickets can be purchased via:
- The Eventbee Attendee App or
- The Eventbee Website interface (click above orange Buy Ticket button on this page)
The sale of tickets which include lunch will cease at 4 PM on 10/29/2022 or when we reach the maximum number of tickets (whichever occurs first).
The sale of tickets WITHOUT lunch will start at 4:01 PM on 10/29/2022 and continue until 7:59 AM on 11/05/2022
When you arrive at the meeting site check in table
The sale of tickets WITHOUT lunch will start at 4:01 PM on 10/29/2022 and continue until 7:59 AM on 11/05/2022
When you arrive at the meeting site check in table
- You can present your ticket in paper form if you printed out the confirmation email OR
- You can present your electronic ticket via the EventBee Attendee app by clicking on the "My Registrations" icon at the bottom of the screen on your smartphone or smart device (See the below sample screen shot)
The venue of the meeting (Northfield Inn & Conference Center) has free WIFI throughout the facility so your smartphone or smart device does not need cellular access for you to access the Eventbee attendee app or your confirmation email to electronically present your ticket barcode at the check in table.
Dr. Jim Tew
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Dr. James E. Tew is an Emeritus Faculty member at The Ohio State University. Jim is also retired from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. During his forty-eight years of bee work, Jim has taught classes, provided extension services, and conducted research on honey bees and honey bee behavior.
He contributes monthly articles to national beekeeping publications and has written: Beekeeping Principles, Wisdom for Beekeepers, The Beekeeper’s Problem Solver, and Backyard Beekeeping. He has a chapter in The Hive and the Honey Bee and was a co-author of ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture. He is a frequent speaker at state and national meetings and has traveled internationally to observe beekeeping techniques. Jim produces a YouTube beekeeping channel, is a cohost with Kim Flottum on the Honey Bee Obscura podcast, and has always kept bee colonies of his own. |
Jim Tew - Presentations
Beeswax is the fundamental construction material of the bee colony. A colony could not pass the winter, or probably any other season, without wax for comb construction. To beekeepers, beeswax comb is simply there. It’s automatic. The bees build it, repair it and when necessary, abandon it. Beeswax and beeswax combs are far more complicated than that simple view. Old combs are significantly different from new combs. But all combs – both old and new – are fundamental to the operation and existence of the colony. Wax and it’s near relative, propolis, deserve far more attention than it gets in the beekeeping literature. Beeswax is not optional within the colony.
Good queens are for the moment. They never last very long – even many years ago when colonies were not plagued by the many pests we have today, beekeepers were not always wild about their queen stock.
The queen is frequently blamed for everything in the colony – both good and bad. Basic recommendations abound, but the challenge is in the details. When to replace, how to replace, how much to pay for what kind of queen are some questions that all beekeepers must answer. It’s not easy. This presentation discusses some of these issues that need to be addressed before deciding to perform the task – colony surgery – or replacing a queen. It is a major event for the colony and things can go wrong.
- Beeswax – a fundamental requirement of the colony
Beeswax is the fundamental construction material of the bee colony. A colony could not pass the winter, or probably any other season, without wax for comb construction. To beekeepers, beeswax comb is simply there. It’s automatic. The bees build it, repair it and when necessary, abandon it. Beeswax and beeswax combs are far more complicated than that simple view. Old combs are significantly different from new combs. But all combs – both old and new – are fundamental to the operation and existence of the colony. Wax and it’s near relative, propolis, deserve far more attention than it gets in the beekeeping literature. Beeswax is not optional within the colony.
- Queen Problems – some discussion, solutions and best guesses.
Good queens are for the moment. They never last very long – even many years ago when colonies were not plagued by the many pests we have today, beekeepers were not always wild about their queen stock.
The queen is frequently blamed for everything in the colony – both good and bad. Basic recommendations abound, but the challenge is in the details. When to replace, how to replace, how much to pay for what kind of queen are some questions that all beekeepers must answer. It’s not easy. This presentation discusses some of these issues that need to be addressed before deciding to perform the task – colony surgery – or replacing a queen. It is a major event for the colony and things can go wrong.
Ian Steppler
|
Since Ian bought his first 4 hives 21 years ago, he has dedicated his life passion towards beekeeping. Ian credits the current standing of his apiary to others on whom he has leaned over the years to help guide him though many management, logistical and husbandry issues.
Currently, Ian manages the farm’s 1500 honey bee operation which consists of 1200 full sized colonies operated alongside a 400 hive nuc operation. Ian has completely transformed his colony management into a self-sustaining operating model through the use of a detailed queen rearing/nuc building program. By using the latest progressive management practices, Ian has adopted alternative methods to manage the apiary. Ian uses lifting devices and escape boards to promote a non-evasive strategy to clear the bees from the honey supers which also completely eliminates the need to lift heavy honey boxes. Ian uses pallets, forklifts and streamlined extraction equipment to process 250,000-300,000 pounds of honey annually. To manage the harsh Canadian winters, Ian winters his apiary in a Canadian style winter shed where the bees stay sheltered for 5 ½ months until set back out in spring. Ian’s focus on bee behaviour and his drive to push the boundaries of his honey bee stock has enabled an interesting and unique operating style which has truly made his operation stand out from the rest. Ian is a big believer in paying it forward which motivates him to share his successes and failures with others. |
Ian Steppler - Presentations
Sustainable Beekeeping. lessons I Learnt Along the Way, How I put together my management strategy as I build my commercial operation.
- Single hive management
Sustainable Beekeeping. lessons I Learnt Along the Way, How I put together my management strategy as I build my commercial operation.
- Queen rearing - self sustainable queen rearing
Dr. Adam Dolezal
|
Dr. Adam Dolezal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He teaches courses in Physiology and Genes and Behavior in the School of Integrative Biology.
He studies how pollinators, mostly focusing on honey bees, respond to the different stresses they encounter in their environment. These studies have centered heavily around the impacts of virus infection and the nutritional and chemical stresses associated with Midwestern row-crop agricultural systems. Adam received his Ph.D. from Arizona State University, where he studied the behavioral physiology of harvester ants and honey bees; he then did postdoctoral work at Iowa State University. |
Adam Dolezal Presentation
How bees change in their susceptibility to diseases throughout at different times of the year.
- Level of Susceptibility to Diseases Throughout the Year
How bees change in their susceptibility to diseases throughout at different times of the year.
Ticket Price:
$50 Per Person for ISBA Member or ISBA Family Member***
$40 Per Person for ISBA Member or ISBA Family Member - U.S. Veteran or U.S. Active Military***
$65 Per Person for non ISBA member***
*** If ticket(s) are purchased before 4 PM on October 29,2022, each ticket will include your choice on one of the complimentary box lunches.
*** After the 10/29/2022 4 PM deadline, ticket purchases will not include lunch. So purchase your ticket(s) early.
$50 Per Person for ISBA Member or ISBA Family Member***
$40 Per Person for ISBA Member or ISBA Family Member - U.S. Veteran or U.S. Active Military***
$65 Per Person for non ISBA member***
*** If ticket(s) are purchased before 4 PM on October 29,2022, each ticket will include your choice on one of the complimentary box lunches.
*** After the 10/29/2022 4 PM deadline, ticket purchases will not include lunch. So purchase your ticket(s) early.
Coffee, Hot water, tea and donuts will be available for attendees in the morning.
As with last year, we will have a vendor display area for attendees to visit before the meeting, during lunch and the break periods.
The confirmed vendors are listed below and it will be updated as additonal vendors confirm they will be present:
The confirmed vendors are listed below and it will be updated as additonal vendors confirm they will be present:
A tentative agenda will be published here in the near future.
Location:
Northfield Inn Suites and Conference Center
3280 Northfield Drive
Springfield, IL, USA
Phone: (217) 523-7900 Fax: (217) 523-7273
Need lodging????
Northfield Inn Suites and Conference Center
3280 Northfield Drive
Springfield, IL, USA
Phone: (217) 523-7900 Fax: (217) 523-7273
Need lodging????
- Call the Northfield Inn to reserve your room at the special rate of $87 plus TAX
- Mention the reservation is for the Illinois State Beekeepers Meeting. All room reservations include the extended continental breakfast each morning.
- If you want to have an extended stay to sight see in the Springfield, Sangamon County or the surrounding counties, the special room rate is valid for a few days before and after the November 5, 2022 meeting.
- You need to call the above number for the Northfield Inn to get the special room rate, they are not offering it via their website
OUT OF STATE
None scheduled at this time