WEST TEXAS Bee School
OCt 10, 2026
Keynote: Bob Binnie
OCt 10, 2026
Keynote: Bob Binnie
Learn Beekeeping in West Texas
Location: Taylor County Expo Center
1700 Hwy 36, Abilene, TX 79602
there is plenty of parking
Hotel Discount: Hampton by Hilton
Here is the booking link to access our discounted room block
to get our room rate of $249 (normal rate is $344)
https://group.hamptoninn.com/1qg75t
Use discount code: West Texas Beekeepers
3526 Westlake Rd. Abilene, TX 79601
325.673.4400
Pre-Conference Activities
October 9, 2026: 6:30pm-8pm: Dinner at Perini Ranch with our Speakers
Limited to the 20 people, our annual dinner at Perini's is a great opportunity to sit shoulder to shoulder with our presenters and enjoy a West Texas meal. Tickets are $98 and include a pre-set menu of premium Mesquite Smoked Peppered Beef Tenderloin, Creamy Horseradish Sauce, Southern Fried Catfish, Ranch Salad, Cowboy Potatoes, Dinner Rolls, Bread Pudding, Iced Tea and Water.
Bring your pocketbook for shopping with our vendors and your tastebuds for a honey sensory bar!
Coffee bar, Lunch, and Honey Tasting is included in your ticket.
Meet the Speakers
- Bob BinnieBlue Ridge Honey Company
Check out Bob's YouTube Channel
Bob Binnie, along with his wife Suzette, owns Blue Ridge Honey Co. in Lakemont, Georgia, operating 2000 colonies along with a sizable honey packing operation. Voted "Beekeeper Of The Year" by the Georgia Beekeepers Association in 2003 Bob has been involved in commercial beekeeping for nearly four decades. - Instructor 2Bee health expert
- Instructor 3Bee health expert
West Bee School Tentative Schedule
Saturday October 10, 2026
Saturday October 10, 2026
Schedule subject to change.
Texas Master Beekeeper Testing will be onsite: stay tuned for details.
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Check-In + Beekeepers Coffee
Courtesy of Dadant and Savannah Bee
9:00 AM – 9:50 AM: Speaker 1
10:00 – 10:45 AM: Speaker 2
11:00 – 11:45 AM: Speaker 3
12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch & Networking (lunch is a BBQ sandwich, and is included in your ticket price - there are no food vendors onsite, so please plan ahead if alternative food is required)
1:00 – 2:00 PM: Panel
2:15 – 3:00 PM: Speaker 4
3:00 PM – 3:45PM: Demonstrations and shopping
4p-5:30p: Speaker 1
Texas Master Beekeeper Testing will be onsite: stay tuned for details.
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Check-In + Beekeepers Coffee
Courtesy of Dadant and Savannah Bee
9:00 AM – 9:50 AM: Speaker 1
10:00 – 10:45 AM: Speaker 2
11:00 – 11:45 AM: Speaker 3
12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch & Networking (lunch is a BBQ sandwich, and is included in your ticket price - there are no food vendors onsite, so please plan ahead if alternative food is required)
1:00 – 2:00 PM: Panel
2:15 – 3:00 PM: Speaker 4
3:00 PM – 3:45PM: Demonstrations and shopping
4p-5:30p: Speaker 1
Bee School Schedule - See what we did in Fall 2025!
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Check-In + Beekeepers Coffee
Courtesy of Dadant and Savannah Bee
9:00 AM – 9:50 AM: Intro to the Wild World of Beekeeping (101) TV's own Charlie Agar, of Charlie Bee Co
10:00 – 10:45 AM: Fall Hive Inspections and Splits: Preparing Colonies for West Texas Winters with Michael & Nikki Felcman of Saint Abigail Honey
11:00 – 11:45 AM: A Seasonal Approach to Honey Production: for home, market, and show with Tiffany Harelik, Hacienda Harelik Honey
12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch & Networking (lunch is a BBQ sandwich, and is included)
1:00 – 2:00 PM: Removals Panel: Charlie Agar (Charlie Bee, Michael and Eli Felcman (Saint Abigail), Angela Steinhauer (TAIS)
2:15 – 3:00 PM: Drone Hunting: Dodie Stillman, TBA Past President
3:00 PM – 4PM: Medicinal Beekeeping with Dr. Ferhat Ozturk
(shop, bio break, refill water bottles)
4:30p-5:30p "Ask a Texas Master Beekeeper" with Omar Martinez, Apiculture Program Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Courtesy of Dadant and Savannah Bee
9:00 AM – 9:50 AM: Intro to the Wild World of Beekeeping (101) TV's own Charlie Agar, of Charlie Bee Co
10:00 – 10:45 AM: Fall Hive Inspections and Splits: Preparing Colonies for West Texas Winters with Michael & Nikki Felcman of Saint Abigail Honey
11:00 – 11:45 AM: A Seasonal Approach to Honey Production: for home, market, and show with Tiffany Harelik, Hacienda Harelik Honey
12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch & Networking (lunch is a BBQ sandwich, and is included)
1:00 – 2:00 PM: Removals Panel: Charlie Agar (Charlie Bee, Michael and Eli Felcman (Saint Abigail), Angela Steinhauer (TAIS)
2:15 – 3:00 PM: Drone Hunting: Dodie Stillman, TBA Past President
3:00 PM – 4PM: Medicinal Beekeeping with Dr. Ferhat Ozturk
(shop, bio break, refill water bottles)
4:30p-5:30p "Ask a Texas Master Beekeeper" with Omar Martinez, Apiculture Program Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Location: The Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene, Texas
Coffee bar, BBQ sandwich Lunch, and Honey Tasting is included in your ticket.
There will also be vendors with beekeeping supplies and honey available for purchase on site. There is plenty of parking.
Questions? Email Tiff@TiffanyHarelik.com
Coffee bar, BBQ sandwich Lunch, and Honey Tasting is included in your ticket.
There will also be vendors with beekeeping supplies and honey available for purchase on site. There is plenty of parking.
Questions? Email Tiff@TiffanyHarelik.com
Photo courtesy of Daniel X. O'Neil / flickr.com
All text, photo, and video materials belong to their owners and are for demonstration purposes only. Please do not use them in commercial projects.
All text, photo, and video materials belong to their owners and are for demonstration purposes only. Please do not use them in commercial projects.
