Western PA Beekeeping Seminar

The Western PA Beekeeping Seminar is back for 2026!!

We are once again excited to offer a wide range of informative speakers and vendors for all of your beekeeping needs. This is one of the largest beekeeping seminars in the state that you do not want to miss!

Our upcoming seminar date is Friday, February 6th and 7th, 2026 and will be held at the Gateway Senior High School in Monroeville located at 3000 Gateway Campus Boulevard, Monroeville, PA 15146

Online registration for early bird tickets will go on sale October 1st! Early bird pricing will be $65 per person, so make sure you purchase your tickets early as the price will increase as we get closer to the event! Online ticket sales end on February 1st.

Ticket pricing will increase to $75 on December 1st, and $85 for those purchasing tickets at the door on February 7th. Anyone registering day of the event will not be guaranteed lunch.

The initial gathering starts on Friday February 6, 2026, there will be a change in our seminar schedule. In lieu of a speaker, we are hosting an informal “meet and greet” from 6:30 to 7:30 PM in the Gateway High school cafeteria. This will be an opportunity to chat with each other and also meet one on one with our speakers and select vendors before the speaker presentations and vendor sales get underway Saturday. The seminar committee will provide bottles of water and ask that attendees bring a snack for all to enjoy.

Per school policy, alcoholic beverages are not allowed.

Early registration will be available from 6 pm to 6:30 pm so you can avoid the busier Saturday AM time.

Plinko, the 50/50, and the raffle will be available to play during the meet and greet.

On Saturday registration begins at 7:15 AM with coffee and donuts. The morning session will begin at 8:15. At this time we are working on securing speakers for the event. We are excited to announce Jerry Hayes, editor of Bee Culture, will be our keynote speaker. In addition, Herman Danenhower will also be in attedance. Stay tuned for more information!!

We will have several breaks where attendees can shop the many bee equipment vendors who will be in attendance. The 2026 vendor list for the seminar is a work in progress and will be updated as we get vendors added.

After lunch until 4:30 there will be three breakout sessions which will offer a variety of topics.

Volunteers: In order to make this event happen, we need volunteers to help the day of operations. Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt for your efforts. If you'd like to volunteer, please email Bill Kopar at wkopar@gmail.com

Honey Donation: We encourage all beekeepers to bring a one pound jar or less of honey for donation to the Rosedale food bank located in Verona. Those that donate honey will be given a free raffle ticket.

T-shirts: At this time our volunteer team is working on the design and presale setup. A limited number of event T-shirts will be available at the seminar for sale. We do recommend that you pre-order a shirt in advance as the in person shirts will be limited. More information to come

Hotel information: Our volunteers are currently working on reserving hotel spaces for you. More information to come!

Event schedule:

Friday February 6th, 2026
6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Informal "meet & greet" in Gateway high school cafeteria. Early registration, plinko, and the 50/50 raffle will be available this evening

Saturday February 7th, 2026 - tentative work in progress

Morning Session 8:15 am to 11:40 am will be in the auditorium
7:15 - registration begins - coffee and donuts available in the vendor area of the auxillary gym
8:15 - Welcome - Joe Zgurzynski (WPA Beekeeping Seminar Chair)
8:15 -
9:15 - BREAK (20 minutes)
9:35 -
9:55 -
10:55 - BREAK (20 Minutes)
11:15 -
11:35 -
11:45 - LUNCH BREAK – VENDORS OPEN

Breakout Session I (1:15 - 2:05 pm)

Breakout Session II (2:25 -3:15 pm)

Breakout Session III (3:35 - 4:25 pm) Auditorium