HANCEVILLE, Ala. – The 31st Annual Alabama Beekeepers Symposium will take place Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Wallace State Community College School of Nursing and Center for Science in Hanceville. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. and will be located at the building’s center doors. The symposium begins at 8:30 and ends at 4:30 p.m.
The cost to attend is $45, and online registration is required by Feb. 1, after which registration fee increases to $55. Lunch and refreshments are included in the registration cost.
Prior to the symposium, the Cullman County Extension office will host a Welsh Honey Judging Workshop Friday, Feb. 6, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. There is an additional registration fee to participate in this workshop. This year, there will also be a Welsh Honey Show as part of the symposium. More information on registering for the workshop and show will be forthcoming.
Keynote speakers for the event include Cameron Jack — an assistant professor of honeybee toxicology with the University of Florida — and Jon Zawislak, an assistant professor of apiculture at the University of Arkansas.
The symposium will include a day-long beginner beekeeping workshop and three other educational tracks to choose from.
Main Track
- Management Practices for Survival
- Oxalic Acid Applications and Timing
- Seasonal Efficacy of Varroa Treatments
Management Skills Track
- Troubleshooting a Failing Hive
- Queen Health and Rearing
- Crop Pesticides vs. Honeybees
- New and Innovative Products in Beekeeping
DIY Track
- Beekeeping as a Business
- Value-Added Products in Beekeeping
- Food Handling and Honey Labeling
Journeyman Track
- Bee Wrangling for Mathew McConaughey
- Integrated Pest Management for Newbees
- Products from the Hive
Beginner Beekeeping Track
- Honeybee Biology
- Setting Up an Apiary
- Colony Inspections
- Feeding Bees
- Managing Pests and Diseases
- Managing Varroa
A variety of vendors will be on-site for people to purchase supplies, equipment and other apiculture-related goods. Many of the equipment vendors will take preorders, which can be picked up at the event to save shipping costs.
- West Alabama Bee Company — www.westalabamabeecompany.com
- Foxhound Bee Company — www.foxhoundbeecompany.com
- Millie Bee Farm (Bottle Supplier) — milliebeefarm@gmail.com
- Rossman Apiaries — www.gabees.com
- Pigeon Mountain Trading Company — www.pigeonmountaintrading.com
For more information on the 31st Annual Alabama Beekeepers Symposium, contact Jack Rowe at wjr0001@auburn.edu or 251-589-5572.
