Meet The Speakers

Keynote Speaker

Paul Kelly

Research & Apiary Manager

University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre

"HBRC Activities – Problems and Solutions + Bee Plants"

"The LVG Breeding Program – Breeding For Low Varroa Growth (LVG) at the HBRC"

Paul has managed the Honey Bee Research Centre since 1987. His primary role at the centre is to manage honeybee colonies for research and teaching purposes. He provides research support for hive health science, training for students and beekeepers, coordinates and teaches beekeeping courses and conducts facility tours for the general public. Paul’s interests include bee breeding, beekeeping tool design and manufacture, beekeeping video production medicinal use of hive products, and hive management techniques. Paul and the HBRC team have produced 77 beekeeping videos for the HBRC YouTube channel. They have been translated into 12 languages and have been viewed approximately 30 million times. He makes and sells Bee Belts, the tool belt for beekeepers. Paul received the Eastern Apiculture Society, Roger A. Morse Extension Award in 2017 and was inducted into the Ontario Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2022.

Breakout Speakers

Dedication. Expertise. Passion.

Owner, Bee Happy Farm

Ben Marietta

"The Beekeeper's Calendar Year"

I have kept bees since I was 6 years old with my mother. From truck driver to diesel technician to commercial beekeeper, I had to find a way to satisfy my fascination with bees and the natural world. In 2019, my wife, Laura, and I started Bee Happy Farms in Brookneal, Virginia. We happily perform crop pollination, grow bees, and harvest many regional Virginia honeys.

Regional Manager, Beekeeper Relations at Dalan

Phoebe Snyder

"AFB Vaccine: Benefits beyond AFB"

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 start-up she co-founded to commercialize UBeeO, a novel hygienic behavior selection test she launched in early 2024. Snyder is currently the Regional Manager, Beekeeper Relations for Dalan Animal Health where she is working to facilitate industry uptake of a honey bee vaccine. In addition to this role, Snyder teaches beekeeping as an adjunct professor at Guilford College and owns and operates her beekeeping business, Phoebe’s Bees.

Owner, Fairground Honey

Greg Sullivan

"Keeping Hives Alive: Managing Strong Hives"

Bio to come!

Owner, Hill City Honey

Paul Tabor

"Swarm Hunting"

Bio to come!

Owner, Siller Pollinator Company

Allison Wickham

"Managing Bees on Solar Farms"

Allison started SPC in 2019 and has been managing daily operations since. Leveraging a scientific education and a decade of land management experience, Allison has grown SPC into a leading pollinator focused company in Virginia which manages about 400 hives and has planted hundreds of acres of wildflower meadows on and native wildlife habitat on private land and solar farms. Allison is also the cofounder and beekeeper of Thistlerock Mead Company in Charlottesville.

Owner, Sourwood Farm

Ryan Williamson

DOUBLE FEATURE!

"Let there be Mites! Can we breed for varroa resistance without heavy losses?"

"Nuc em! Creating and managing nucleus colonies spring through winter"

Ryan Williamson of Sourwood Farm is a second generation beekeeper running a full time bee farm with his family in Earlysville, Virginia. Ryan manages a diverse operation of 250-300 colonies, producing high-quality honey, candles, nucs, and queens. Working mostly solo, Ryan has a proclivity to tinker, often experimenting with new approaches to improve genetics, production and equipment. Through his talks, he shares his practical insights, DIY solutions, and lessons learned from his hands-on experience.