Tony Andric is a recovering computer/electrical engineer, addicted beekeeper, makes doors for chickens?, has zero life insurance, lives near Lockhart, TX (BBQ capital of TX), old, fat, white, bald, bearded guy (1967 model), married, yet it's lonely inside that suit, uses Langstroth mediums only w/ top entrance, survival genetics & is treatment free.

Nathalie B. Nathalie B. is an internationally recognized speaker and advocate for Natural, Treatment-Free beekeeping, best known for championing Horizontal Top-Bar Hives as an accessible, affordable, and easy-to-manage option. She redesigned plans to create a global Top-Bar Hive standard and invented the Flex Hive, a Langstroth-to-Top-Bar adapter. An MBA graduate and Master Beekeeper with 15+ years of experience managing nearly 400 colonies, she owns Bee-Mindful.com, offering classes, AG services, hives and TF bees. Nathalie has led multiple Texas beekeeper associations, developed refugee training programs, and launched youth scholarships, donating nearly 100 hives to promote sustainable beekeeping communities worldwide.

Chris Barnes is a Texas A&M Aggie, class of ’87 (pause for “whoop”).  Social clubs & organizations is something Chris & Dalene have been involved with for over 35 years.  Prior to getting involved in beekeeping, they raised & trained Labrador Retrievers, where they served in the local “retriever club” as President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, as well as chairman of national events.  They have also served on the Board of Directors of their local Homeschool Cooperative, helping to form one of the largest homeschool athletic groups in the state.  They started beekeeping in 2013 when Dalene signed Chris up for the Central Texas Beekeeping School– without his knowledge.  She wanted a couple of hives to go with her garden and chickens; they now have 60+ hives over several locations in Brazos County.  Chris performs structural bee removals and serves on the Board of Directors as Membership Director of the Texas Association of Professional Bee Removers.  Chris & Dalene are founding members of the Brazos Valley Beekeepers Association in Bryan/College Station; Chris is a past-president and is currently serving as the Youth Program Director (now the largest youth program in the state).

Dalene Barnes coerced her husband Chris into attending the Central Texas Beekeeping School over 10 years ago. He developed the idea into a retirement business with over 50 hives. Dalene actively helps maintain and inspect the hives, does most of the bookkeeping, helps with honey harvest and loves hive tours with the public. The main reason she wanted bees was to help pollinate her garden, one of her most enjoyable activities, along with playing with the grandkids.

Bill Baxter has spent 39 years with Texas Apiary Inspection Service. Worked with Africanized honey bees all over Texas. Knew bees before varroa mites. Worked with 3 generations of beekeeping families.

Mustafa Bozkus is a Ph.D. student in Entomology at Texas A&M University, researching honey bee nutrition and colony health. He previously worked at Oregon State University on oxalic acid field trials for Varroa mite control. He has practical experience managing experimental colonies, conducting pollen nutrition studies, and evaluating bee foraging landscapes across diverse environments. His research integrates ecology, GIS (Geographic Information System), and sustainable practices. Mustafa is passionate about advancing beekeeping through science and sharing knowledge with beekeepers and researchers.

Lynn Burlbaw is one of the three principals in Bs for Bees. He and his son, Jason, and granddaughter, Arianna, have been keeping bees for 4 years and have successfully overwintered hives, ready to gather nectar and pollen in the spring. This year they extracted over 100 pounds of honey. The three of them are active in leading and teaching and serving the BVBA bee community.

Steve Butler lives in Franklin, but will seemingly drive to all corners of the state to do bee removals. In addition to being an expert at structural removals and forced absconds, Steve also holds a Master Electrician license.

Steve Brackmann was raised on a dairy farm in Northern Illinios and lived there until 1985, when he moved to Texas. Steve began his beekeeping career over 25 years ago; starting out by doing over 2400 removals. Today he focuses on being a queen breeder and leasing his hives for Ag Valuation purposes.

Brandon Fehrenkamp is the owner of Austin bees and has almost 18 years of experience working with the live removal of honeybees and is in the Texas Master Beekeeper program and enjoys tinkering with gear and top bar hives. He also manages the observation hive at the Austin Nature and Science Center, bleeds orange, and is the mentor for “Beevo”, the t.u. beekeeping club.

Tara Chapman Tara Chapman is the founder of Two Hives Honey, a honey and beekeeping company based in Austin. A former federal intelligence officer turned beekeeper, Tara has spent ten years teaching thousands of beeks all over the world. Her work has been featured on The Today Show, VICE Media, Texas Highways, and more. Her book, For the Bees: A Handbook for Happy Beekeeping, was published by the University of Texas Press in 2024

Kyle Cosby is a 4th generation beekeeper and organic farmer. For the last 5 years I've worked for texas bee supply. Where I am on the conference team speaking and teaching I'm also a teacher for our beekeeping classes . I make house calls where I get the opportunity to see hundreds of hives and the beginner beekeepers where we diagnose there hives and practices and make a plan moving forward. Beekeeping is easy if you dont make it hard

Carolyn Gibson and her husband Gerald are owners of Dogwood Gardens Organic Farm. They were beekeepers until Gerald became allergic to bees and had to give them up. They grow pollinating plants for honey bees. Carolyn, author, organic farmer and family herbalist. She fell in love with herbs and natural healing in the 1970’s. She has been making and using herbal since then. She shares her passion through her books and YOUTUBE channel @CarolynGibosnHerbalist. She is also a contributor writer for The Texas Beekeepers Association Journal. Visit their booths for plants, books and handmade skin products.

Ryan Giesecke is president of Trinity Valley Beekeepers Association and active in the Texas Master Beekeeper Program. Ryan is a sideliner beekeeper in the Dallas area where he runs a small company specializing in live bee removal. He runs foundationless hives and favors naturalistic management practices.

Dr. Kory Gill has been practicing medicine for the last 20 years and beekeeping for the last 10 years. The medical applications of bee products has allowed him to bring together two of his passions.

Nicole Gueck is an Insurance Agent with Specialty Risk Insurance, lives in Franklin, TX and is a hobby beekeeper herself. Prior to becoming an agent, she spent 17 years working in the crop insurance industry developing new products for the USDA Risk Management Agency with most of her work involving specialty crops.

Stan Gore My grandad was a beekeeper who worked hives in Montana where I lived for over 20 years. Currently work over 100 of my own Hives in 4 different counties. I graft and make a few queens. Owner of Texas Honey Bee Rescue where I help folks with their bee issues. I rescue bees, swarms and put them in a box and nurture them. Part of the end process is to mentor/train new beekeepers in order to keep bees alive. One of the goals is to decrease the 80% number that new beekeepers give up after 3 years of beekeeping by providing education and training. On the Board Of Advisors for Central Texas Beekeepers and Hives For Heros. Owner/Admin and Chief Goober of Texas Friendly Beekeepers with over 7,600 members. We run a safe friendly place to hang out and talk bees. Our goals are too educate, equip and encourage new and old beekeepers. We don't allow any trash talking or me monsters on the page. Humility is part of the rules. We openly share our Gooberish mistakes and what we learned and what we hope to learn each day as beekeepers. Beekeeping to me, is my calling my passion, not a hobby. I am a Disciple of Christ disguised as a Beekeeper.

Tim Hartmann is originally from Blanco, TX, Tim Hartmann received his Bachelors and Master’s degrees in Horticulture and Plant Breeding (peaches) in 2009 and 2023, respectively, from Texas A&M University. He received his Ph.D. in Horticulture from Texas A&M in May 2020 after completing a study on the adaptation and feasibility of golden kiwifruit production in Texas. Tim is an assistant professor and Extension fruit specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and the Department of Horticultural Sciences at TAMU, where he teaches the Temperate Fruit & Nut Production course and advises several graduate students. He is responsible for grower support, development of educational material on fruit, and assisting County Extension Agents. Tim’s research focuses on both established commodities such as peach, fig, apple, pear, and plum, as well as exploration of alternative crops apricot, Asian persimmon, pineapple guava, and kiwifruit.

Dennis Herbert is a native central Texan. He attended Texas A&M and Stephen F. Austin where he graduated with a BS in Wildlife Biology. He was employed at Fort Hood for 33 years as Chief of the Natural Resources Management Branch. As a result of his accomplishments at Fort Hood, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Military Fish and Wildlife Association, for his work in wildlife management for the Department of Defense. Also, he was the first civilian to be inducted into the Fort Hood Garrison Hall of Fame for his leadership in natural resource management. Dennis drafted the original legislation for the current bee law that assists small landowners to receive their agricultural valuation if they wish to raise bees on their property. He helped shepherd the bill through the legislature in 2011, it became law on January 1, 2012. He has been a beekeeper in Bell County for 18 years

Dan Jones is an Army veteran, and served 1 tour in Iraq, began his company Bee Man Dan in 2015 performing bee hive removal and relocation, wasp nest removal, and private bee keeping lessons in Harris and surrounding counties, is a member of the Texas Association of Professional Bee Removers, and began a new program Buzz for Gold Sweepstakes.

Erin Jones is an instructor of Integrated Pest Management in the Agriculture Department at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. Her main focus at the university is entomology however, she also teaches plant pathology, greenhouse management, horticulture, and other plant science classes. Erin also serves as a County Extension Agent specializing in Horticulture for Randall County. She is the President of the Palo Duro Bee Club and a PhD student at West Texas A&M University. Her research focuses on honey bee pollination studies.

Lynne Jones is a small-scale beekeeper in Sealy and owner of Brazos River Honey. She serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Fort Bend Beekeepers Association and is a member of the Central Texas Beekeepers Association. She is an original member of the Real Texas Honey program and is currently at the Advanced level of the Texas Master Beekeeper program. She began her adventure in beekeeping at this very beekeeping school in 2016.

Omar Martinez is a Program Extension Specialist in Apiculture at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, with over 25 years of experience in apiculture across Brazil, New Zealand, the United States, and Colombia. His expertise includes colony management, queen rearing, honey production, and instrumental insemination. He supports beekeepers through workshops, field demonstrations, and one-on-one training, promoting sustainable practices, improving colony health, and helping beekeepers gain the skills and confidence to manage successful operations.

Randy McCaffrey, aka 628DirtRooster, has 32 years as a contractor and structural claims specialist. At the age of forty he developed a fascination with honey bees. He discovered beekeeping after assisting his brother, who is also a beekeeper, with the live removal (cut out) of a bee hive in an old furniture warehouse. In 2010 armed with his knowledge of construction and his newfound fascination with bees he began removing and relocating feral bee colonies from commercial and residential structures along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. As of May of 2023, the number of cut outs he has done total more than a thousand and swarm catches total approximately five hundred.
Randy typically keeps forty to fifty colonies. His family, including himself, his father and his brother, keep approximately two hundred and fifty colonies total. He conducts studies in much of his work such as mite count and disease studies in feral or otherwise chemically untreated bee colonies. He video records much of his work and shares this work through social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok to educate, entertain and inspire current and future beekeepers. His work can be found on most large social media platforms under the channel name 628DirtRooster with the tagline “Where Hobby Beekeeping Is a Way Of Life”.

Scott McKane became interested in owning bees in 2011, and after attending a beginner’s beekeeping class that January, he started his journey of becoming a beekeeper with the purchase of his first hive. Over the next few years he studied bees and beehive styles. In 2019 he traveled to Europe to research beekeeping techniques in Slovenia and Germany. In 2020 he moved to the Austin, Texas area. McKane Apiaries is now supplying Austin with hive leasing contracts, colony removals, beekeeping classes, and a hive management service. He is growing the apiary to have a vast array of hive styles found around the world. From the typical Langstroth hive to his favorite Slovenian AZ hive."

Charlie McMaster is an Army veteran of more than 30 years, while serving in Communications, Information Technology/Security and Program Management positions and organizations. His final military assignment was as the Director of the Central Technical Support Facility, Fort Hood. Now, a Beekeeper for the past 9+ years in Copperas Cove, Texas. He devotes his time to serving others and has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Texas Beekeepers Association and is the Director for Connections of Hives For Heroes, a Veterans Service Organization, his mission is pairing Mentors with NewBEEs nationwide. Charlie is a graduate of the University of Vermont, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts, Shippensburg University, Master of Public Administration and the Army War College, Master of Strategic Studies.

Tim Miller operates a 32-acre master planned certified organic permaculture farm in Kyle Texas. Getting his hands dirty at a very young age learning along the way, after college he moved to Austin in 1984 from Wisconsin and realizing then climate change is real. Working at Austin Community Gardens for 9 years he started his farm with over 140 fruit and pecans advocating water conservation without ever pumping any aquifer water. He is the winner of the Blue Legacy award in 2015 for water conservation in Texas as a Producer.

Chris Moore is a former President of the Texas Beekeepers Association. He began beekeeping in 1998 after meeting veteran beekeeper Glen Mace at church. He currently operates a “small” commercial operation with ~2500 colonies in four SE Texas counties. He provides pollination services for California almonds & Texas watermelons.

Jeff Murray is co-owner of WildFlyer Mead and Beer Co in Navasota TX. Jeff is the maker. The Artist if you will. He makes the magic happen, and by magic, that really means dumping and mixing honey, chopping fruit, etc. Jeff started homebrewing beer in 2011 and started keeping bees in 2014.

Dr. Monte Nesbitt is a state-wide fruit specialist from Texas AgriLife Extension at A&M University.

Keegan Nichols is a Ph.D. candidate in entomology in Dr. Rangel’s honey bee lab. My research focuses on the native honey bee subspecies Apis mellifera jemenitica in Saudi Arabia, where I am surveying genetic and health factors to help establish a breeding program that improves queen quality. In addition to my research, I serve as the apiary manager at Texas A&M University, where I oversee our colonies for both honey production and research purposes.

Randy Oakley has been practicing the art of beekeeping for 50 years. Three generations of the Oakley Family currently help out in the family bee business producing local bees and beehive products as well as teaching others sustainable methods of beekeeping for Texas. They manage 400 colonies along the I35 corridor between Austin and Waco, Texas. More information about their beekeeper training and beehive products can be found at www.OakleyFamilyApiaries.com.

Steven Osborne started in the insurance business in 1982. Been doing insurance for beekeepers all over the country for over 20 years. Along with insuring beekeepers we also insure over 30 Beekeeping Associations across the country. Texas Insurance & Financial Services was recently acquired by HILB Group. They are the 17th largest agency in the country. They do over $500M in revenue, has 2400 employees and 125 branches throughout the United States. I am married to Jill Osborne. We have three kids and 8 grandchildren. We live in Lakeway, TX. We attend The Lakeway Church which my wife has worked at for 25 years.

Dr. Ferhat Ozturk is a recognized medicinal honey expert and TEDx speaker who recently joined Sul Ross State University International as the founding Biology Program Director. He leads the HONEY Pathway initiative, analyzing local honeys to help beekeepers enhance their honey’s value based on bioactivity. Featured in Newsweek and Fortune, he’s passionate about promoting U.S. medical-grade honeys alongside local beekeepers.

Michelle Pankonien has been keeping bees in the Brazos Valley since 2011, a chemical free bee keeper. I utilize making splits and VSH genetics for mite control. I achieved the Master level in Texas Master Beekeeper Program in the first graduating class. I produce bottled honey, comb honey, candles and make moisturizer with my bees wax.

Kyle Patterson recently retired from the College Station Police Department after 29 years in law enforcement. In preparation for his upcoming life of leisure, he began beekeeping when a crazy man knocked on his door and told him he could help him fill up the empty top-bar hive he had sitting in his front yard. So for the past 7 years he has been relocating bees from structures onto his property in Robertson County, where the bees usually decide to live in the trees on his property rather than the nice hives he built for them. But at least he will never have his hives stolen.

Robert Peebles is a graduate of Texas A&M University (pause for whoop) with a degree in Accounting. He is a Systems Engineer by trade with almost 30 years of experience and been building “stuff” for almost 40 years. Have built hundreds of bee hives including standard langstroth, layens, and dozens of long langstroth hives. He calls himself a "newbee beekeeper", but has successfully kept bees for 3 years and has 32 hives.

Ashley Ralph is the co-founder of Prime Bees, a professional beekeeping operation based in College Station. With a focus on sustainable practices, education, and community engagement, Ashley specializes in management, queen rearing, and pollination services. She has served as President of the Texas Beekeepers Association, Brazos Valley Beekeepers Association and is a Texas Master Beekeeper passionate about helping others grow in their beekeeping journey through practical guidance, hands-on learning, and a deep love & constantly growing understanding of honey bees.

Dr. Juliana Rangel obtained her B.S. from the University of Evansville (2009) in biochemistry and received my Ph.D. in Medical Science from Texas A&M University (2016). In 2017, I joined Dr. Juliana Rangel Honey Bee Lab in the Department of Entomology, TAMU, and currently am working as a Research Specialist. My duties include managing the molecular lab, training and mentoring students on their research projects, and teach Honey Bee Biology (Ento 320) online and face-to-face.

Skip Richter received his degree in Horticulture from Texas A&M and has been with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service for the past 32 years. He was previously located in Montgomery, Travis, & Harris Counties, but is not stationed back home her in Brazos County. He is a published author (his book is available at his table in the vendor area) as well as writing for The Eagle newspaper and Texas Gardner magazine. He can also be heard on his weekly radio show called “Garden Success” on KAMU.

Justin Russell along with his wife Ashley, own Prime Bees and Aggieland Honey and have built his business from 1 hive to over 300 in the past two years. They have enjoyed helping people create their own apiaries, making honey, and producing healthy bees for beekeepers. They've grown their apiary from 0 to 1200+ hives in a short time, leading to lots of lessons and a chance to play with 10,000,000+ bees on a regular basis! His approach to beekeeping is a practical one and is often focused on saving time, energy, and money. Justin is an Advanced Level Candidate in the Texas Master Beekeeping Program.

Dr. Tonya Shepherd received her B.S. from the University of Evansville (2009) in biochemistry and received my Ph.D. in Medical Science from Texas A&M University (2016). In 2017, I joined Dr. Juliana Rangel Honey Bee Lab in the Department of Entomology, TAMU, and currently am working as a Research Specialist. My duties include managing the molecular lab, training and mentoring students on their research projects, and teach Honey Bee Biology (Ento 320) online and face-to-face.

Garett Slater is the Apiculture Extension Specialist and an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University, where he leads statewide efforts to support and educate beekeepers. He coordinates the Texas Master Beekeeping Program, develops extension resources, and provides training to help beekeepers improve colony health, management practices, and sustainable breeding efforts. His research focuses on helping beekeepers select and breed better bees across Texas.

Katherine Sherrod (Aggie Class of 2013) is a former social studies educator-turned-mama of three little girls under the age of 7. She stays at home with the girls and helps her husband run their company, Greener LawnScapes. A few years ago they got bees to “save money on taxes”, but quickly became obsessed with beekeeping and the beekeeper community. After a challenging first year, Katherine grew her apiary by chasing swarms in her minivan (with all the kids in tow), doing lots of splits, and even tagging along on a removal or two. Now that she has more bees than she knows what to do with, Katherine sells nucs and honey in the Brazos Valley. Above all else, Katherine believes in the power of vulnerability (any Brene Brown fans?!) and uses her story of failure to encourage people to give beekeeping a chance (or two) even if it has a steeper learning curve than you expected.

Blake Shook got started in beekeeping when at 12 years old, he was accepted into a youth beekeeping program in north Texas. By age 17, he became president of that local club and went on to develop Desert Creek Honey into a commercial bee operation as well as starting Texas Bee Supply, which now has offices in north Texas, east of Houston, and east of Austin. Blake is a former president of the Texas Beekeepers Association and a director for the American Beekeeping Federation.

Angela Steinhauer has been the Chief Apiary Inspector for the Texas Apiary Inspection Service since 2023.

Rex Smith has been beekeeping for 16 years; for the last 14 years as his full-time vocation. Rex provides beekeeping services in the form of livestock for land agriculture valuation and honey production. He resides in North Texas and is past-President of the Texas Association of Professional Bee Removers trade organization.

Dodie Stillman began attending meetings of the Austin Area Beekeepers and Williamson County Area Beekeepers Associations in 2011. She was part of the inaugural class of the Texas Master Beekeepers Program, becoming one of the first seven Master Beekeepers in Texas. Dodie currently serves on the TMBP board. Over the past five years, she worked with the Texas Beekeepers Association board, including serving as president, and is now active on the Legislative Committee and co-chairs the TBA Honey Show.

Kevin Stillman is an artist and professional photographer. After he retired from the Texas Highway Department, he became a full-time honey bee assistant for his wife, Dodie. She only lets him light the smoker, lift heavy boxes, and dispatch old queens, so he’s become very proficient.

Mandy Tabrizi is the County Executive Director with the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Texas. She represents Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, and Walker counties. After receiving her Masters in Agricultural Development, she started her service career with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. After 5 years with the TAMU system, she became a trainee with FSA in Falls County. Over a year ago she continued her adventures with the agency to Montana and provided boots on the ground during the historical Yellowstone River Flood in June 2022 for Carbon and Yellowstone counties. She has now returned home to Texas to help producers navigate FSA programs and utilize those programs in the wake of disasters.

Michael Vidrine is a TAMU graduate class of '73 in electrical engineering. He has always had a garden wherever he have lived - northern Brazil (12b), Midwest (6b), three locations in Texas (9a to 8B). Currently growing fruits, vegetables, pecans and bees on 8 acres. Michael is a Texas Master Gardener Certified and teaches various classes on gardening for extension as well as for other organizations.

Ed Veiseh and his wife Julie are the founders and CEO of Ed's Bee Wrangling since 2014, and is a professional bee removal service that specializes in live and safe honey bee removals and domestication through hiving colonies. Ed is a founding member of the Texas Association of Professional Bee Removers and has served in the past on the Board of Directors in the role of association Secretary. Ed currently manages over 300 colonies of honeybees in 34 "Ag Valuation yards". If you're wondering, his last name is pronouced "Vey Sa".

Lauren Ward is a Honey Bee Program Specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Brazoria County, TX. She earned a master’s degree in Entomology from Texas A&M University and has over ten years of experience in honey bee research, education, and practical beekeeping. Lauren has had a lifelong interest in insects, agriculture, and natural systems.

Danessa "Nes" Yaschuk is the owner and creator of SweetNes Honey Apiaries & Beetique. She and her husband Brent Yaschuk manage approximately 250 hives and sell their honey products at many retail locations in Houston, TX and surrounding areas. Danessa has served three years as the Vice President for the Fort Bend Beekeepers Association and is currently the Vice Chairman on the Real Texas Honey board as well as an Administrative Assistant for the Real Texas Honey Program. Danessa’s passion for bees began at an early age. She would catch and release bees in her front yard for fun. Little did she know that one day she would become a full-time beekeeper and pollinator advocate. Nor did Brent for that matter! He is now elbow deep in bees and honey with her! Danessa’s love of bees and beekeeping and his love of business combined has made them an awesome team! They are honored to share their knowledge about Honey Extraction with you!