2026 ABC Conference & Trade Show Agenda

(DRAFT – Subject to change)

Monday, November 16, 2026 | Annual General Meeting (Closed Meeting)
1.00pm - 5.00pm
ABC Annual General Meeting (closed session – open to Eligible Producers only)240 min
5.00pm - 6.00pmPost AGM Refreshments (Producers only)60 min

Tuesday, November 17, 2026 | Conference & Trade Show | DAY 1
7:30 AMAlberta Pollination Group Meeting (Closed Meeting) | Conference Room 460 min
BREAKFAST | 7.00am - 8.30am | Room 6
Speaker Presentation Upload 7.00am - 8.00am
90 min


8.30am - 10.30am
Session Moderator:
TBA
ABC PresidentWelcome & Opening Remarks5 min
Maggie GillTropilaelaps: The Next Global Threat to Honey Bees?50 min
Maren Vickers & Isabela BernsdorfTBA25 min
SpeakerTBA20 min
Lynae OvingeVarroa Control in Alberta Beekeeping Operations: Evidence from On-Farm Trials20 min
MORNING BREAK | 10.30am -11.00am | Trade Show Room

11:00am-12:00pm
Session Moderator:
Lynae Ovinge
PANEL DISCUSSION:
Managing Varroa in Alberta: What’s Working, What’s Changing & Where Do We Go Next?
MODERATOR: Lynae Ovinge
Panelist:60 min
Panelist:
Panelist:
Panelist:
LUNCH | 12:00pm - 1:00pm | Room 660 min


1.00pm - 3:00pm
Session Moderator:
TBA
Dr. Brendan DaisleyThe Invisible Workforce: How Microbes Shape Honey Bee Health and Disease20 min
Dr. Shelley Hoover & Kathryn KnowlesColony and queen condition – do they matter for queen introduction?20 min
Kouadio Bedie & Wilmer PereraBuilding an HPTLC database as a tool for honey authentication20 min
Dr. Ray BergstraAlberta Beekeeping & Honey Code of Practice20 min
Emily PedzinskiTBA20 min
Aneta OzierańskaPep'up field trial results on mortality reduction in Manitoba, 2025-202620 min
AFTERNOON BREAK | 3.00pm - 3.30pm | Trade Show Room30 min


3.30pm - 5.10pm
Session Moderator:
TBA
PANEL DISCUSSION:
Built for Alberta: Breeding Queens for Resilience, Productivity, and Survival
MODERATOR: Dr. Shelley Hoover
Panelist:40 min
Panelist:
Panelist:
Panelist:
Dr. Brendan DaisleyOld Pathogen, New Threat: Melissococcus plutonius and Queen Cell Failure20 min
AFSCBRM Program updates20 min
Patricia Wolf VeigaEvaluation of imported and domestic queens - A decade of diagnostic services at NBDC20 min
FREE TIME | 5.10pm - 6.00pm50 min
HOSPITALITY NIGHT | 6:00pm - 8.00pm | Trade Show RoomComplimentary canapes & toonie bar
Silent Auction
120 min

Wednesday, November 18, 2026 | Conference & Trade Show | DAY 2
DRONES HOCKEY GAME | WEM Ice Palace 8.00am - 9.30am90 min
BREAKFAST | 8.00am - 10.00am | Room 6
Speaker Presentation Upload 8.00am - 9.00am
120 min

9.00am - 11.00am
Session Moderator: TBA
Carina LaiTBA20 min
Dr. Kajsa Duke & Mahima DuaEngineering for the Hive: A Multi-Year Review of Mechanical Capstone Projects in Beekeeping Technology20 min
Dr. Pierre GiovenazzoUniversity Laval’s buzzing research: ApiOmic and Qbank40 min
Emily PedzinskiTBA40 min
MORNING BREAK | 11.00am - 11.30am | Trade Show Room30 min
11:30am - 12:30pm
Session Moderator:
TBA
Steve PernalTBA40 min
Daniele PahijaAlberta Honey: Export Potential and Competitiveness in Southeast Asia20 min
PRESIDENT'S LUNCH | 12.30pm - 2.30pm | Room 6
Presentation of 2026 Beekeeper of the Year Award
ENTERTAINMENT: Comedian Kelly Taylor
120 min



2.30pm - 4.30pm
Moderator:
TBA
Maxime Fraser FrancoTBA20 min
Ali PanasiukPA Update20 min
PANEL DISCUSSION:
Water: The Invisible Input Behind Every Hive
MODERATOR: TBA
Panelist:40 min
Panelist:
Panelist:
Panelist:
SpeakerTBA20 min
SpeakerTBA20 min