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NEKBA 2026 FUNDAYSaturday, June 6th
Douglas County Fairgrounds, Lawrence, KS
Join us for a day of beekeeping education and hands-on workshops! Featuring expert guest speakers, an open teaching apiary, and value-added talks. Enjoy lunch and honey ice cream!
đź’˛ Registration: $50 | $15 Youth (6-18 yrs)
NEW IN 2026: Interactive Sessions
Our interactive sessions are designed to help you grow your beekeeping skills with hands-on learning and real conversation. These aren’t just lectures, you’ll have the chance to ask questions, share experiences, and work through real-world hive situations alongside experienced beekeepers.
Key Note Address – "Critical Thinking" - David Burns
Presentations –
Honey Bee Microscopy – Dr. Judy Wu-Smart
Bee-Friendly Policy & Advocacy Training for Beekeepers – Dr. Judy Wu-Smart
Overview of the American Honey Institute and Their Testing Programs Underway – Brian P. McCornack, PhD
MORE WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON!
HANDS ON INTERACTIVE SESSIONS
Inspecting Your Hive and how to Accomplish It All In 12 Minutes – David Burns
In addition to learning how to inspect your hive, will include mite sampling, lighting a smoker, and hive tool manipulation for new beekeepers. Items to bring: veil, bee jacket, smoker (if you want to practice.)
Soap Making – Joli Winer
limited to 25 participants
Age Limit: 12+ under 18 must have a PAID adult to accompany them
Making Splits – Kristi Sanderson
MORE WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON!
EVENING PRESENTATION & DINNER
"Beekeeping in Jordan" – Prof. Mohammed
Additional $20 fee
Highlighting local beekeeping practices, key challenges, and the importance of honey bees in Jordanian agriculture. She will also discuss bee products (including honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and beeswax), their importance, and practical methods for producing them.
OUR SPEAKERS:
David Burns is a Master Beekeeper certified by the Eastern Apicultural Society (2010) and the founder of Long Lane Honey Bee Farms in Illinois. He mentors thousands of beekeepers through his online courses, weekly livestreams, podcasts and his popular YouTube channel with over 180,000 subscribers. A passionate educator and innovator, David is known for practical, science-based beekeeping advice and for developing tools like the Winter-Bee-Kind feeder to help colonies survive winter more successfully. He writes a monthly column in Bee Culture magazine. His goal is to help beekeepers think critically, manage proactively, and keep healthier bees through every season. He and his wife, Sheri, are co-authors of Backyard Beekeeping: Everything You Need to Know to Start Your First Hive.
Dr. David T. Peck is the Director of Research and Education at Betterbee in Greenwich, NY, and a recognized expert in honey bee health, particularly regarding Varroa destructor mites. He holds a Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior from Cornell University, where he studied under Dr. Tom Seeley.
Prof. Amal Abdallah Mohammed is a Professor of Apiculture at Al-Balqa Applied University (BAU), Jordan, with extensive experience in teaching and research in honey bee biology, health, and sustainable beekeeping management. She previously served as the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology and is currently the Dean of Scientific Research and Innovation at BAU. Prof. Mohammed has received support for and contributed to several international projects focused on sustainable agriculture, research development, and innovation. She has been invited as a keynote speaker at numerous scientific conferences and professional events across several Arab countries, sharing expertise in apiculture, pollinator health, and the importance of bees for food security and ecosystem sustainability. She is currently a Visiting Research Scholar at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Bee Lab, hosted by Dr. Judy Wu-Smart, where she is engaged in research collaboration and outreach activities related to honey bee health and management.
Dr. Judy Wu-Smart (Associate Professor and Extension Specialist) has directed the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Bee Lab since 2015, where she leads a pollinator health program focused on identifying key stressors affecting bee health, including pests, diseases, and pesticide exposure. Her team also emphasizes community engagement, improving science literacy around pollinator and farm-to-table issues, and developing policy and advocacy training that empowers stakeholders to engage effectively in decision-making processes that support the beekeeping industry and pollinator conservation efforts.
Learn more about programs and training opportunities at the UNL Bee Lab (https://beelab.unl.edu/) and Great Plains Master Beekeeping (https://gpmb.unl.edu/) websites, or follow the lab on Facebook.
Brian P. McCornack, PhD – coming soon!
Kristi Sanderson - began keeping bees in 1988 as a student at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe Kansas.
After graduating her enthusiasm grew and she continued learning through local clubs and working for a bee supply company. She grew her business Sweet Prairie Honey by adding hives and selling honey. Eventually she learned how to make creamed honey from a local beekeeper and attended value added workshops in Nebraska to learn about other products made with honey and beeswax. This enabled her to sell soaps, lotions, balms and flavored creamed honeys along with liquid honey. In 2006 she obtained a Masters Beekeeping certificate from the Eastern Apiculture Society (EAS). A few years later she obtained a second masters certificate from University of Nebraska -Lincoln (UNL) Mid-West Master Beekeepers program. She has just completed her third masters certificate through The Great Plains Master Beekeeping program (GPMB). She is active in the Northeastern Kansas Beekeepers Association (NEKBA) and the Kansas Honey Producers Association (KHPA) giving talks and coordinating the honey booth for the Kansas State Fair. Kristi now operates a mentoring service for beekeepers in the Kansas City area and enjoys sharing her enthusiasm and knowledge of bees with beekeepers.
🏨 Hotel Group Rate: We have reserved a block of rooms at Holiday Inn Express for Friday and Saturday nights, $139 per night. The hotel is located at 3411 S. Iowa St, Lawrence. Telephone number is 785-749-7555. The World Cup teams and visitors will be in the Kansas City area, including Lawrence, during this time frame so hotels may book up earlier or prices may be increased so we encourage you to make your plans earlier than usual this year. If you call in the code is Bee Keepers Meeting.
Parking your RV or travel trailers will be allowed on the Douglas County Fairgrounds. There are sixteen sites that have electricity (30 amps & 50 amps each), NO water, parked on gravel, and the cost is $15 per night. There are eight sites that do NOT have electricity or water, parked on dirt/grass and there is no cost for these sites. You will need to make reservations for the sites. Contact Paige Vannicola at [email protected] and provide her your arrival date and departure date. She will send you an electronic invoice that will need to be paid by credit card. If you have questions for Paige, she can also be reached by telephone at 785-832-5296.
đź”— More info: www.NEKBA.org
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Event Venue
2110 Harper st, Lawrence, KS, United States, Kansas 66046
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Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
