Media contact: Angela Try

SPRINGFIELD — Lincoln Land Community College and the Prairie State Beekeepers will host the 2026 Illinois State Beekeepers Association Summer Meeting June 12-13 in A. Lincoln Commons on the LLCC campus, 5250 Shepherd Rd., Springfield with visits to the LLCC West Lake Nature Grove Apiary. 

The two-day meeting includes a mead and beer panel discussion, live onsite apiary presentations and 17 educational sessions on topics ranging from queen rearing and replacement, keeping bees in Southern Illinois, managing bees in cooperation with regenerative farming techniques, the value of bees outside of agriculture, common beginner mistakes, beekeeping for educators, creating beeswax items and more. CEU credits may be earned during the training. 

LLCC College for Kids will offer youth breakout sessions for students in grades 3-6. Options include Smells, Sounds and Sweet Surprises: Exploring the Science of Bees and Bee Inspired! Creating, Crafting and Exploring Pollinators. Onsite childcare, for children 13 and under, will be available for attendees. 

The programs will be taught by a variety of industry leaders, including Dave Cox, LLCC professor of biology. 

For more information, event pricing and registration, visit www.prairie-state-beekeepers.com/2026-summer-meeting.