The North American Honey Bee Expo returns January 7–9, 2027, and Kamon Reynolds joins Jeff and Becky with a preview of what beekeepers can expect in Louisville. This year's Expo expands to three full days of education, with more than 70 hours of presentations, a larger trade show, new vendors, workshops, the North American Honey Bar, microscopy sessions, and plenty of opportunities to meet the people developing the equipment, technology, and ideas shaping modern beekeeping.
Kamon shares some of the speakers and topics planned for 2027, from queen rearing and commercial beekeeping to top-bar hives, honey shows, overwintering, microscopy, mite resistance, and ways smaller operations can increase their income.
A major addition this year is Beekeeping Foundations, a seven-session beginner program being developed by Jeff and Becky. The course will combine classroom instruction with the unique hands-on opportunities available throughout the Expo trade floor, giving new beekeepers a chance to see and handle the equipment and concepts they're learning about.
Kamon also joins Jeff and Becky for a Hive IQ listener question about late-season queens, discussing mating challenges, fall colony strength, and why maintaining spare nucs can provide valuable insurance against queen failure.
Whether you're brand new to beekeeping or have decades of experience, Kamon's goal remains the same: create an event that educates, connects, and inspires beekeepers.
Websites from the episode and others we recommend:
- North American Honey Bee Expo: https://www.nahbexpo.com
- Honey Bee Health Coalition: https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org
- Project Apis m. (PAm): https://www.projectapism.org
- The National Honey Board: https://honey.com
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast: https://honeybeeobscura.com
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We'd like to thank Vita Bee Health for supporting the podcast. Vita provides proven tools for controlling Varroa—from Apistan and Apiguard to the new VarroxSan extended-release oxalic acid strips—helping beekeepers keep stronger, healthier colonies.
Thanks for Northern Bee Books for their support. Northern Bee Books is the publisher of bee books available worldwide from their website or from Amazon and bookstores everywhere. They are also the publishers of The Beekeepers Quarterly and Natural Bee Husbandry.
Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of Honey Bee Obscura. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com
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