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Events

​Northern Illinois
No events scheduled at this time for the Northern Region
Downstate Illinois
​November 13 & 14, 2026 -  ISBA Fall Meeting & Honey Show -  Springfield, Illinois
  • The venue is the Northfield Inn & Conference Center - Springfield, IL
  • November 13 is check in for the Show Me The Honey Show (rules to be published soon).  Honey Show entry check in will continue on November 14 and close at 9 AM so the judging can start
  • November 14 is the Annual Fall Meeting and when the judging for the honey show will be done (both run concurrently)
  • Ticket Prices remain the same (no increase from last year).
  • There is a discounted ticket price for ISBA members who are active military/veterans/first responders. They can also purchase a discounted ticket for their immediate family members who plan to attend.
  • The non ISBA Member ticket price will include an ISBA membership for the 2027 calendar year.
November 13, 2026 
​ ISBA Honey Show & Honey Show Workshops  (Topaz Room)
  • 1:00 - 3:00  PM Honey Show Workshop Classes  - Please Pre-register for this workshop by emailing Pam Carter - [email protected]  
  • Workshop Topics include Lip Balm, Canned Goods & Preserves. 
  • These Workshop Classes are Open to any registered Fall Meeting participants
  • $10 workshop fee to those who purchase a Honey Show Entry ticket, $20 workshop fee for those who do not purchase a Honey Show Entry ticket.)  Fees will be collected in the workshop.
  • 3:00 - 5:00 PM  Honey Show Entries will be accepted by Secretaries and Stewards and resume again on Saturday morning (November 14, 2026) starting at 8 AM and closing at 9 AM.
  • Judging will immediately follow with the goal of ending early afternoon, for a 20 minute public announcement of winners.
  • 2026 Show Me The Honey Show Rules available here for viewing/download
  • Quality iron on embroidered ISBA Circle and Skep patches (same quality as an embroidered sew-on patch).
  • A limited number will be available for a $5 donation at the ISBA meeting at the Honey Show check in table.  The proceeds will be used to further support and enhance the ISBA Show Me the Honey Show.  It is suitable for putting on front or sleeve of the apparel item of your choice.  The below is a photo of the embroidered iron on ISBA Circle and Skep logo patch.
Need Lodging?
  • If you need lodging at the Northfield Inn, mention the Illinois State Beekeepers conference when you call 217-523-7900 for the discounted room rate of $105 plus applicable taxes.   
  • Room must be reserved/booked before midnight October 29, 2026 to obtain the $105 rate.
  • The rate is good for 1 night before the meeting and if available, a night afterwards in the event you would like to visit local tourist sites.
  • Each room has two queen size beds and includes an extended continental breakfast (which means hot food items like scrambled eggs, make your own waffles, etc).
​For the Annual 135th -  November 14, 2026 meeting:

  • There will be assorted donuts, cinnamon rolls, coffee and hot water and tea provided for Saturday morning.
  • A self service water station will be available all day.
  • Lunch will be a 2 protein (Fried Chicken and Roast Beef Au Jus) buffet along with salad, potatoes and California Mixed Vegetables.   Drink and a dessert will also be served at the lunch.​
  • There will be a mid afternoon snack of cookie and brownies
  • Tickets purchased before 5 PM on November 8, 2026 include the buffet lunch.  Tickets purchased after 5 PM on November 8, 2026 do not include the buffet lunch - ticket prices remain the same.​  So get your ticket(s) now while they are available.
Presenters 
  • David Burns - started beekeeping in the early 1990s and started a beekeeping business several years later. In 2006 He began blogging and uploading beekeeping videos to YouTube. His YouTube channel has grown to around 154,000 subscribers. He also produces a weekly beekeeping podcast.

    In 2020 David & Sheri were approached by Rockridge press to write the book “Backyard Beekeeping: Everything You Need to Know to Start Your First Hive.”

    He has produced a suite of online beekeeping courses that have become very popular among new beekeepers.

    David produces queens, nucs and packages. In order to make sure beekeepers had the best and latest scientific information on bees and beekeeping, David became a Certified Master Beekeeper through the Eastern Apicultural Society (2010). He also writes a column for Bee Culture Magazine.

    David teaches beekeeping workshops all year at their Training Center in Fairmount, IL. He also has a mentorship program known as Beeteam6, talks throughout the country at beekeeping conferences and is heard frequently on radio shows and podcasts.
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  • Samantha (Sam) Dubbs - University of Illinois) - is a  Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and co-advised by Dr. May Berenbaum and Dr. Adam Dolezal. Sam received her bachelor’s degree in plant biology at North Carolina State University in December 2020. While at NC State, Sam worked in plant pathology, specifically with plant-parasitic nematodes and their impacts on various host plants. In 2021, Sam worked as a laboratory technician in the lab of Dr. Adrianne Gorny, focusing on management strategies for root-knot nematodes in sweet potato production systems. Sam’s current research focuses on various aspects of honey bee-derived propolis – including chemical composition, its effects on honey bee physiology, and honey bee resin foraging behavior. 
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  • Myra Dickey - (University of Illinois) - Myra is a postdoctoral researcher in the Dolezal lab. In 2018, she received her BS in Biology at Salisbury University. In 2025, she received her PhD from Texas A&M University, where her dissertation was focused on characterizing a free-nesting population of honey bees.
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  • Phil Raines - (Raines Honey) Phil and Sharon Raines have been beekeeping in Davis, IL for 27+ years and are the 4th largest beekeeper in the Illinois. They maintain around 700 hives, including hives on forest preserves, state parks, local farmers (both organic and conventional), the Nicholas Conservatory, and The Discovery Center, among others.  Phil also serves as the Illinois State Beekeepers Association, Northern Region Director.
 
  • Pamela Carter - Pam is a certified Senior Honey Judge representing the American Honey Judge Association and serves on the American Honey Show Training Council. She is the Secretary for the Illinois State Beekeepers Association and Chair of the Illinois State Beekeepers Association Honey Show. Pam has judged state and national honey shows including Hive Life and the North American Honey Bee Expo. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Education and a Master’s degree from Roosevelt University in Educational Administration. Pam resides in Antioch, Illinois with her husband of 40+ years. She manages Pam’s Patch Apiary. Pamela’s Bees won the creamed honey category in the 2024 International Best Tasting Honey competition which is held annually at the Center for Honeybee Research, in Asheville, North Carolina.
 
  • Michelle Curby - Bureau Chief over the Illinois Dept of Agriculture - Bees & Apiaries Program and the Apiary Inspectors.
Session Topics (to be updated as information is confirmed)
David Burns
  • Interpreting Frames: Moving Beyond What You See
    This advanced session will help experienced beekeepers move beyond simply identifying brood, pollen, and nectar to truly grasp what a colony is communicating. We will explore how brood patterns reveal queen quality, how pollen placement signals nutritional stress, and how subtle clues—such as drone distribution, backfilling, and cell polishing—indicate where a colony is headed. You'll learn how to turn routine inspections into proactive, predictive decision-making inspections.​
Phil Raines
  • The good, bad and ugly but mostly good of a commercial beekeeping operation.  When growing your beekeeping operations there are successes and lots of learning opportunities.
Pam Carter
Ticket Cost and Type   
  • $65 ISBA Member/Family Member 
  • $50 ISBA Member / Family Member - U.S. Veteran/Active U.S Military/First Responder 
  • $80 NON ISBA Member (Also includes ISBA Membership for calendar year 2027)
  • Optional $10 Show Me the Honey Show entry ticket (will require a purchase of a meeting admission ticket). The honey show ticket allows you to submit a show entry in as many of the categories and classes you want to be judged in.  For example, you can submit 1 entry in each of the liquid extracted classes and any class (i.e. creamed honey firm or soft, comb honey, or an item in the baked goods, etc.) via the same honey show entry ticket.
Please ensure you provide a valid email address during the registration process as it will be used to send you the ticket(s)  a confirmation email after you specify your payment method and the purchase is approved by the credit card processor.  

Please enter the name, mailing address, email address and phone of the person who is purchasing the ticket(s) and if you are purchasing more than 1 ticket, enter the name, mailing address, email address and phone number of the other person(s) the ticket(s) is for.   

Save the response confirmation email,  do not delete it.  

The information you supply is for the credit card processing to validate the credit transaction and we (the ISBA) need the information to produce the attendee name tags and in the case of non members who purchase tickets to provide them an ISBA membership for the 2027 calendar year.  The Illinois State Beekeepers Association utilizes Stripe as the credit card processor.

The ISBA will not sell/rent or give away your information to any other entity or business.

​Tentative meeting agenda will be published in the near future.
Use the below button to purchase admission ticket(s) for the 2026 Fall Meeting (and optional Honey Show entry ticket)
If you encounter technical problems trying to register for the Fall Meeting or the Honey Show, contact Steve Petrilli at [email protected]  or 217.638.7891​
The confirmed vendors to date are: .
If you are a vendor and wish to have a display space at the meeting (the vendor display is in the same room (4,609 sq ft) being utilized for the lunch and break area), please contact Rose Leedle at [email protected]  or at 618.340.2213
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If the Google Map to the Northfield Inn does not appear below,  click here
WEEKLY
"Breakfast with Bees"
Open Invitation To All Beekeepers
Weekly Zoom Meeting

Join James and the “Breakfast with Bees” community.
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Are you a Beekeeper looking to expand your beekeeping experience?
​
You are invited to join in and participate in a free Zoom meeting every Saturday morning.
with an expanding community of beekeepers from all levels of experience.
Hosted by: JAMES KONRAD, FVBA

All are invited to: "Breakfast with Bees" – Saturdays 7:30 am. via zoom.
  • We are a group chat and beekeeping community open to all who want to participate.​
  • Each week our gang of beekeepers of all levels; hobbyists, masters, sideliners, educators and commercial, all join via zoom to discuss weekly beekeeping topics for successful “sustainable management” of our hives.
  • Everyone is encouraged to contribute, ask questions, discuss, and learn.
  • Our community of beekeepers meets every week to discuss our beekeeping experiences.
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Meetings every Saturday morning, Start time is 7:30am.
Join us on zoom with the following,
Meeting ID = 889-0962-1870
Passcode = bees

For more information.
​Email: [email protected]
OUT OF STATE
No out of state events listed at this time