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Event Date
2026-07-09 -
Event Time
July 9 - 11 -
Event Location
301 W 5th St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
NCSBA Conference - summer
2026 Summer Meeting
Benton Convention Center • July 9-11
Onsite Registration Rates:
Current NCSBA Members:
Individual: $95
Family: $135
Non-Members:
Individual: $110*
Family: $150*
*Includes NCSBA 2026 annual membership for primary registrant.
Advance registration has ended. Onsite registration begins Thursday at 10:00am and Friday/Saturday at 8:00am. Walk-in registration for Saturday will be $30 less than the full conference rate.
Schedule
Keynotes:
- Dr. Sammy Ramsey
- Varroa Kleptocytosis – Stealing for the Next Generation
- Tropilaelaps – A Fate Worse Than Varroa
- Kaylee Richardson of The Honeystead
- Planting for Honeybees and Your Health
- Sweet Medicine: Crafting from the Hive
- Dr. David Tarpy
- The Internal Hive Politics of Queen Bees
Speakers:
- Molly Carlson – 2026 John T. Ambrose Student Award Recipient
- The effect of brood pheromone (E-beta-ocimene) on colony growth and queen replacement
- Rebecca Craps – NC State, Forsyth County, Extension Agent, Natural Resources and Environmental Systems – Pollinator Matchmaking: Using Native Plants to Support Habitat Restoration
- BeeMORE Interns – BeeMORE Student Lightening Talks
Workshops:
- Dr. Rahman Tashakkori – BeeMon Project: An integrated hive system using predictive AI for bee health
- Virginia Webb – Preparing Honey Show Entries
- State Apiary Inspectors – Don Hopkins & Team – In the Apiary with the State Apiary Inspectors
- Carla Robertson
- Update on the Honey Industry
- Marketing Your Honey & Products of the Hive
- Mark Case – What’s Your Why? Beekeeper’s Edition
- Etienne Nadeau – Counting Queens Days: Do I Need to Buy a Queen?
- Joe Komperda –
- Part 1: An Average Joe Beekeepers Guide to Splits – The Basics
- Part 2: An Average Joe Beekeepers Guide to Splits: Advanced Splitting Techniques
- Lynne Swanson – How to Run an Engaging Bee School
- Madison Bridges – Mead-making
Other Items to note are:
- Master Beekeeper Program testing for all levels Saturday morning Saturday, July 11, 9:00 – 11:00 am; no tests handed out after 10:30 am. You must be registered for the conference to attend.
- Live bees onsite: Benton Convention Center is bee-friendly and there will be expert apiary instruction in honey bee management.
- Friday Evening Awards Banquet: Purchase your tickets during registration. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
Bees and Honey Competition
The NCSBA Bees and Honey Competition features youth and adult level competition in over 50 classes.
Download the official rules and guidelines including the categories and classes
Pre-registration of show entries is strongly encouraged.
Virginia Webb is a full-time commercial beekeeper. For more than fifty years, Virginia (along with her late husband Carl Webb) has championed the role of the honeybee in helping to sustainglobal agriculture and have helped to promote its diversified productivity, from nutritional products to health and beauty aids.
She manages more than 150 colonies of bees and her apiaries are located in areas suitable to produce the very best Sourwood Honey.
Virginia has been awarded four gold medals at the World Honey Show, sponsored by the Apimondia, for Best Honey in the World. She is the only person to win the International Black Jar Honey Contest twice sponsored by the Center for Honeybee Research. First in 2014 and again in 2025.
She is a highly sought-after speaker for the beekeeping industry and agriculture where she has worked with beekeepers in almost every state and has traveled to Europe, South America and the Caribbean teaching beekeeping for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Teaching others about honeybees and their role in agriculture is an important service that Virginia has provided for over 50 years. Each year, she speaks to thousands of school children, church groups, civic organizations and retirement centers nationwide.
For more than 40 years, Virginia has been a certified honey show judge. Including Tennessee State Beekeepers Assoc., North Carolina Beekeepers Assoc., Georgia Beekeepers Assoc., Welsh Beekeeping Organization and the Apimondia – World Honey Show.
Virginia Webb holds three master beekeeper certifications, Georgia, Florida and Eastern Apiculture Society.
Food
Attendees will have plenty of convenient food and beverage options available throughout the event at the Benton Convention Center concession stand.
Thursday: Lunch and snacks
Friday & Saturday: Breakfast, lunch, and snacks
Enjoy a variety of fresh food, snacks, coffee, and drinks at affordable prices without ever having to leave the venue. Plus, the convention center is surrounded by several great restaurants and dining options just a short walk away for anyone looking to explore the area
Friday Awards Banquet: Buffet dinner tickets will be available for purchase when registering. Banquet tickets must must be purchased in advance. There will be no tickets available for purchase onsite.
Note: Vegetarian options will be offered for dinner. We are not able to accommodate special dietary requests. If you have special dietary needs please plan accordingly by bringing food/snacks or researching local eateries nearby.
Hotel/Lodging*
for 129.00 USD per night
Last Day to Book : EXTENDED to Friday, June 26, 2026
Use this link for the discounted rate
*Rate do not include taxes and fees. The rates provided here are for comparison. Confirm the actual/final rate with the hotel. The deadline to book at the discounted rate is June 17, 2026.