Mike settled in Southeast Louisiana after serving 23 years in the US Navy in 2008. Mike is now 12 years into beekeeping and considers himself a hobbyist. He grew his apiary after his first package of bees from Dr. John Harbo through splits, colony removals from structures, and swarm catching. In 2020, he began his YouTube channel and VLOG, MikeBarryBees, with the sole purpose of showing the challenges of beekeeping for an average person in southeast Louisiana. The mantra, ‘This is Not a How To Video’ was born, with the slogan, ‘It’s a How I Do Video’ soon following. He documents his seasons and shows a worldwide YouTube audience the highs and lows that beekeepers can encounter.

Mike currently keeps 40 to 50 hives for honey production and continues to hold a full-time job. He enjoys mentoring one to two beekeepers a season and is always available to new and veteran beekeepers in the area for calls and questions, or just some good beekeeping fellowship.

While a YouTube Creator and follower of many beekeeping channels, Mike still believes in staying abreast of solid industry research and reading, attendance at meetings and lectures, and never forgetting the most basic bee biology in order to be a better beekeeper. He and his wife Jill enjoy traveling and most any adventure in the great outdoors when the bees allow them to go.

Greg Rogers runs Haw Creek Honey Company in the beautiful mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. He has forty-two years of beekeeping experience experience, twenty-five years of which he has done it full time.

His three hundred-fifty to four-hundred hive operation has concentrated on honey production and apple pollination. He has done presentations on a variety of honey bee management at the local, state, and regional level.

In 2023, he did his first honey bee research project on oxalic acid-glycerin extended release sponges in cooperation with Dr. David Tarpy at North Carolina State University. He will present the results at the conference.

My name is Brandon Shannon, and I am a PhD student, graduate research associate, and teaching assistant at The Ohio State University. I began beekeeping in 2017 during my Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Central Florida (UCF) while studying chemistry. My master’s research at Ohio State determined toxicities of adjuvants (formulations of “inert ingredients” added to improve pesticide tank mixes) commonly used in California almond orchards to honey bees. In addition to reducing risks of agricultural pesticides to honey bees, my PhD dissertation explores the use of low-risk adjuvants to improve Varroa control in honey bee colonies. After completing my PhD, I plan to further my career in academia through honey bee research, teaching, and extension.

Sade Shofidiya, founder and CEO of BEEnevolent, is a North Carolina Certified Beekeeper, Master Beekeeper Candidate at Cornell University, and a Certified Honey Bee Removal and Control Operator with extensive hive cut-out experience. BEEnevolent’s mission is about making beekeeping easier and more successful for everyone.

Sade sees beekeeping as this amazing blend of tradition and cutting-edge science. That’s why she created the first-ever scoring system for honey bee health. It’s like a beehive report card, helping beekeepers understand exactly how their colonies are doing.

But Sade didn’t stop there. She’s also continues to interview hundreds of beekeepers, soaking up their experience and wisdom. By combining all this knowledge, BEEnevolent is developing tools to improve hive management, fight disease, and ultimately, save the bee population. Sade’s focus is all about empowering beekeepers and giving them the confidence to thrive alongside these incredible pollinators. BEEnevolent’s  expertise is further amplified by their partnership with the USDA Honey Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland. This prestigious institution, the largest bee research laboratory in the country, provides invaluable scientific insights that fuel the development of BEEnevolent’s innovative platform, ensuring it offers the most up-to-date and effective beekeeping guidance.

Phoebe Snyder began her journey in beekeeping in 2015 and has worked bees ever since. Snyder graduated with her B.S. in Biology in 2018 from Stevenson University then worked as a lab assistant at the USDA Bee Research Lab in Beltsville, MD. In the same year, Snyder began her master’s studies at UNC Greensboro studying honey bee group size effects on hygienic behavior performance. Snyder conducted a portion of her thesis work in Israel in 2019. After graduating with her M.S. in Biology in December 2020, Snyder gained extensive industry experience through her roles as Technical Sales Representative for a hive tracking software company and COO of Optera, a company she cofounded to commercialize a novel hygienic selection test called UBeeO. Snyder launched UBeeO in early 2024 then shifted gears to develop her beekeeping business, Phoebe’s Bees. In addition to managing her hives, Snyder teaches beekeeping as an adjunct professor at Guilford College.