Missouri Bee Day 2025

Over 30 beekeeping lectures of varying subjects and complexity packed into one day.

Click here to download the entire schedule*

Mark your calendars for the Missouri State Beekeepers Association (MSBA) Fall Conference on June 21st in Springfield, Missouri (2401 S Kansas Expy, Springfield, MO 65807). This one-day event, hosted at the Darr Agricultural Center in Sprigfield, promises to be a comprehensive and engaging experience for beekeepers of all levels

Event Highlights:

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Jerry Hayes, Editor of Bee Culture Magazine and author of its monthly “Study Hall”

 

Other Featured Speakers:

Dr. Judy Wu-Smart,

Five simultaneous educational tracks of classes:

Attendees can choose from a wide range of topics. Sessions will cover essential subjects such as:

Beginning beekeeping track

Queen Rearing by Cory Stevens

Study Hall Live with Jerry Hayes and Barbara Bloetscher

Beekeeping Research with Dr. Judy Wu-Smart

Bee Stings and Treatments with Dr Michael Brown

And many more specialized topics – see the full schedule here

An all-day Beginner Track:

For new beekeepers featuring classes for those just getting started or wanting to get started in beekeeping.

Vendor Hall:

One of the tracks will be dedicated to vendor presentations, offering insights into new products and exclusive deals on beekeeping equipment. This is a great opportunity to explore the latest innovations and stock up on supplies.

Excellent Value:

MSBA is dedicated to education in the state of Missouri and we work hard to keep our costs down so we remain the best value for bee education.  To that end we have kept our registration fees for this event set at $65 for members and $75 for non-members (youth under 18 can register for just $15).  These fees cover your access to all of the excellent education mentioned above and covers your lunch and snacks as long as you register before ????????? .  We challenge you to find a better deal than this!

Whether you are a seasoned beekeeper or just starting, the MSBA Fall Conference offers valuable insights, networking opportunities, and practical knowledge to enhance your beekeeping practice. Don’t miss this chance to learn from experts, connect with fellow beekeepers, and explore the latest in beekeeping technology.

We hope to see you at the Darr Agricultural Center in Springfield Missouri  on June 21st!

Register Now

 

*Schedule is subject to change, come back to this page for updates as we are able to post them

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Hourly Schedule

Bee Day 2025

8:00 - 8:45
Registration
Registration begins
8:45 - 9:00
Main Hall Opening Remarks
9:00 - 9:45
Keynote with Dr Jerry Hayes
9:55 - 10:40
Main Hall MSU Pollinator Landscape planning
9:55 - 10:40
Breakout Room 1 Queen Rearing Biology
Speakers:
Cory Stevens
9:55 - 10:40
Classroom 1 HoneyBee Biology and Behaviors
9:55 - 10:40
Classroom 2 Beekeeping Research and Education in the midwest
Speakers:
Judy Wu-Smart
9:55 - 10:40
Bee Yard Marking Queens and Drone Practice
10:50 - 11:35
Main Hall Study Hall Live
10:50 - 11:35
Breakout Room 1 Stock Selection
Speakers:
Cory Stevens
10:50 - 11:35
Classroom 1 Hive Styles and Equipment Basics
10:50 - 11:35
Classroom 2 Pollinator Planning: USDA
10:50 - 11:35
Bee Yard Bee Etiquette Smoking and Getting into a Hive
11:45 - 12:30
Main Hall Reading Frames
11:45 - 12:30
Breakout Room 1 Queen Introduction
Speakers:
Cory Stevens
11:45 - 12:30
Classroom 1 Location, Location, Location
11:45 - 12:30
Classroom 2 All Year Top insulation
11:45 - 12:30
Bee Yard Hive Inspection and Mite Wash
12:30 - 1:15
Lunch and Vendor time
1:15 - 1:45
Main Hall MSBA Business Meeting
1:55 - 2:40
Main Hall Winter Feeding/Insulation
Speakers:
Judy Wu-Smart
1:55 - 2:40
Breakout Rm 1 Queen Rearing Equipment Needed
Speakers:
Cory Stevens
1:55 - 2:40
Classroom 1 Ways to Acquire Bees and Installing them in the Hive
1:55 - 2:40
Classroom 2 Comb Honey History and Production
Speakers:
Dave Loftin
1:55 - 2:40
Bee Yard Live Frame Reading
2:50 - 3:35
Main Hall Making Nucs and Splits
Speakers:
Mr. Tom Sostman, Mrs. Melissa Sostman
2:50 - 3:35
Breakout Rm 1 Value Added Products
2:50 - 3:35
Classroom 1 Plants for Pollinators
Speakers:
Caroline Griesemer
2:50 - 3:35
Classroom 2 Bee Club Leadership Training and Networking
Speakers:
Dave Loftin, Valorie Nichols
2:50 - 3:35
Bee Yard Setting Up a Cell Builder
Speakers:
Cory Stevens
3:45 - 4:30
Main Hall Swarm Collecting and Trapping
3:45 - 4:30
Breakout Rm 1 Grafting Demonstration
Speakers:
Cory Stevens
3:45 - 4:30
Classroom 1 Bee Stings treatment and Emergencies
3:45 - 4:30
Classroom 2 Drama Inside the Hive
Speakers:
Rev. Henry Long
3:45 - 4:30
Bee Yard Alcohol wash/sugar shake and Oxalic Acid Dribble treatment
Speakers:
Judy Wu-Smart
4:40 - 5:10
Main Hall Jerry Hayes
Cory Stevens
Cory Stevens
Stevens Bee Company
Cory Stevens comes to us from his 27 acre farm in Bloomfield, MO, which he manages for wildlife and pollinator habitat. Cory and his wife Jaime own Stevens Bee Company where they select for mite resistant VSH stock. Cory is a Past President of Missouri State Beekeepers Association, and earned a MS in entomology from University of Nebraska – Lincoln. He was certified as a Master Beekeeper by EAS in 2013, and trained by Sue Cobey in 2014 to instrumentally inseminate queen bees. He slips bees into random conversation with strangers, and annoys his wife by constantly talking about bees.
Judy Wu-Smart
Judy Wu-Smart
Judy Wu-Smart received her BS in Zoology at Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. She received her MS in Entomology at Washington State University, with the advice of Drs. Walter Sheppard and Carol Anelli. Her MS research examined the effects of pesticide residue accumulation in brood comb on honey bee health. She continued on a PhD program with Dr. Marla Spivak at the University of Minnesota, where she examined the effects of systemic neonicotinoid insecticides on honey bee and bumble bee queens and colony development. She’s now an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In her role at UNL, Judy is developing a pollinator health program to help understand the underlying stressors in bee health and their interactions with environmental toxicants.
Dave Loftin
Dave Loftin
MSBA Programs Director
Willing to drive 45 miles from Nixa MO Beekeeping for 30 years Willing to teach on Comb Honey – History and Production Trees For Bees Swarm Trapping and Collection As a boy, Dave watched his grandfather tending beehives. Dave’s first opportunity with bees of his own came after college when he found a swarm in a whiskey barrel at a garden supply store in Rochester, NY. He found local beekeepers to ask advice from and soon joined the Rochester Beekeepers Club. Back then, Dr. Richard Taylor was a local professor and frequent speaker at the club. Dave learned how to produce comb honey as well as many other things from him.These days, Dave lives on 10 acres outside Nixa, Missouri with his wife Paula. The property has several varieties of trees beneficial to honeybees. Dave is actively planting more varieties of trees and other plants for pollinators. He is a member of the Bees Alive Club in Nixa, the Beekeeping Association of the Ozarks, and the Missouri Beekeepers.
Mr. Tom Sostman
Mr. Tom Sostman
Tom and Melissa began their beekeeping adventure in 2017 when a video of a cut out caught Melissa’s interest. Over the next year they began researching and taking classes to learn to become successful backyard beekeepers. In the Fall of 2018, they captured a late season swarm and tried to grow it in a nucleus box. Unfortunately, the swarm had other plans and absconded their new home. In Spring of 2019 they started the season with 2 nucleus colonies and 1 package of bees, that Fall they ended the season with 8 colonies. They successfully overwintered those 8 that quickly became 16. They have since doubled and tripled their colonies annually now having 150+ colonies spread out over 6 different apiaries. Their beekeeping goals are education, sustainability, and local nuc and queen sales. Their education goals are being met through both participating in the Great Plains Master Beekeeping program as well as helping teach the monthly classes. They also do local speaking engagements at schools. They were also asked to sit in on board meetings with the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association and were elected to board positions in 2023, Melissa as Vice President and Tom as Program Coordinator. These positions further allow them to help bring quality speakers to their club meetings and promote beekeeping education. They also attend several beekeeping conferences throughout the year to help continue their own education. Sustainability practices for them include being able to use any products produced from the hive to help fund their beekeeping adventure. They sell honey, honey straws, creamed honey, comb honey, lip balms, pollen, soaps, beeswax candles, queens, and nucs as well as preform bee removals. In 2022 they also built a wax dipping tank and began wax dipping all their woodenware equipment to help preserve their investment.
Mrs. Melissa Sostman
Mrs. Melissa Sostman
Tom and Melissa began their beekeeping adventure in 2017 when a video of a cut out caught Melissa’s interest. Over the next year they began researching and taking classes to learn to become successful backyard beekeepers. In the Fall of 2018, they captured a late season swarm and tried to grow it in a nucleus box. Unfortunately, the swarm had other plans and absconded their new home. In Spring of 2019 they started the season with 2 nucleus colonies and 1 package of bees, that Fall they ended the season with 8 colonies. They successfully overwintered those 8 that quickly became 16. They have since doubled and tripled their colonies annually now having 150+ colonies spread out over 6 different apiaries. Their beekeeping goals are education, sustainability, and local nuc and queen sales. Their education goals are being met through both participating in the Great Plains Master Beekeeping program as well as helping teach the monthly classes. They also do local speaking engagements at schools. They were also asked to sit in on board meetings with the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association and were elected to board positions in 2023, Melissa as Vice President and Tom as Program Coordinator. These positions further allow them to help bring quality speakers to their club meetings and promote beekeeping education. They also attend several beekeeping conferences throughout the year to help continue their own education. Sustainability practices for them include being able to use any products produced from the hive to help fund their beekeeping adventure. They sell honey, honey straws, creamed honey, comb honey, lip balms, pollen, soaps, beeswax candles, queens, and nucs as well as preform bee removals. In 2022 they also built a wax dipping tank and began wax dipping all their woodenware equipment to help preserve their investment.
Caroline Griesemer
After a 35 year nursing career and raising three children with her husband Louis, Caroline has made beekeeping and gardening her passion. She became a Master Gardener in 2017 and enjoys the education and volunteer opportunities inherent in the organization. Louis and Caroline have been keeping bees since 2009 on their property in Springfield. They have a fascination with the interactions of the pollinators with the huge variety of plants and trees that they grow.
Valorie Nichols
Valorie Nichols has been a beekeeper since 1994, I started out, taking the beginning beekeeping classes for the first time and won a hive from what was soon to be my mentor. Unfortunately, I fell victim to losing my first hive in the winter, but got back up and decided that this hobby was something that I really wanted to pursue. So I bought two additional hives, those two became four, four became 16 and you know the rest of the story. I retired in 2017 from United Parcel Service with 34 years of blood sweat and tears and decided that I wanted to turn my hobby that was on steroids into a business. I have held several positions in our local club Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks, and with my current position as Vice President and South West Missouri Regional Director for the MSBA. I am currently keeping around 100 hives of bees, and do a lot of custom extraction to complicate my life even more!!!
Rev. Henry Long
Rev. Henry Long
Henry Long first got into beekeeping when he was about 10 years old. He worked his bees without adult supervision relying on the information he gained from reading two library books on beekeeping. Today, Henry also keeps bees year-round in observation hives inside his home. He has a unique 21 deep frame observation hive that he designed and built. Henry has been published in the American Bee Journal and had photos of his large observation hive published in Bee Culture Magazine. He is currently serving as president of the Parkland Beekeepers Association. Henry is also an ordained Southern Baptist minister and has degrees from Covenant Theological Seminary, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Missouri Baptist University in exegetical theology, divinity, religion, and the biblical languages.

Date

Jun 21 2025

Time

8:00 am - 5:30 pm

Location

Darr Agricultural Center
2401 S Kansas Expy, Springfield, MO 65807
Category

Speakers

  • Cory Stevens
    Cory Stevens Stevens Bee Company
    Cory Stevens
    Cory Stevens
    Stevens Bee Company

    Cory Stevens comes to us from his 27 acre farm in Bloomfield, MO, which he manages for wildlife and pollinator habitat. Cory and his wife Jaime own Stevens Bee Company where they select for mite resistant VSH stock. Cory is a Past President of Missouri State Beekeepers Association, and earned a MS in entomology from University of Nebraska – Lincoln. He was certified as a Master Beekeeper by EAS in 2013, and trained by Sue Cobey in 2014 to instrumentally inseminate queen bees. He slips bees into random conversation with strangers, and annoys his wife by constantly talking about bees.

  • Judy Wu-Smart
    Judy Wu-Smart
    Judy Wu-Smart
    Judy Wu-Smart

    Judy Wu-Smart received her BS in Zoology at Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. She received her MS in Entomology at Washington State University, with the advice of Drs. Walter Sheppard and Carol Anelli. Her MS research examined the effects of pesticide residue accumulation in brood comb on honey bee health. She continued on a PhD program with Dr. Marla Spivak at the University of Minnesota, where she examined the effects of systemic neonicotinoid insecticides on honey bee and bumble bee queens and colony development. She’s now an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In her role at UNL, Judy is developing a pollinator health program to help understand the underlying stressors in bee health and their interactions with environmental toxicants.