Zoom Presentation

Dr. Thomas D. Seeley is the Horace White Professor in Biology at Cornell University. He is based in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, where he teaches courses on animal behavior and does research on the behavior and social life of honey bees. His work is summarized in three books: Honeybee Ecology (1985), The Wisdom of the Hive (1995), and Honeybee Democracy (2010). The presentation will be on the topic of Nature Based Beekeeping.

Arián Avalos is a USDA-ARS Research Geneticist working on honey bee breeding, genetics, and physiology. Dr. Avalos will give a Zoom presentation to club members discussing Genetics and the anomalous (mellow) behavior of the Puerto Rican Africanized Honey Bees. Why are Puerto Rico's population of African-European hybrid honey bees (AHB) famously known for being much gentler than their continental counterparts? Learn more about this and what it might mean for Africanized honey bees closer to us.

Susan Kegley is one of the owners of Bees N Blooms farm. She’ll give a Zoom presentation on Beekeeping in the 2020s: Challenges and Solutions. Susan’s background as a PhD chemist and founder of the Pesticide Research Institute has inspired and informed the creation of the farm. She and her staff are demonstrating healthier, organic agricultural practices that sustain animals, plants, and people alike.

Third-Time Guest Speaker Wally Shaw will speak to the club in a Zoom presentation titled Both Sides Now: Proactive, and Reactive Swarm Prevention Everyone Should Know. You'll hear observations on swarm-trigger criteria,  time tested approaches to swarm prevention, and recipes for success. The swarm-organizer bees in the hive want to facilitate reproduction; the beekeeper's agenda is to prevent swarming out into the neighborhood.

Dr. Rinkevich is a Research Entomologist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Baton Rouge. He'll give a talk on Sustainable Miticide Use and Varroa Control. He will discuss use of resistant stock and other new research developments that show promise to reduce the impacts of Varroa on honey bees.

Dr. Sagili is an entymology professor at Oregon State University. He'll speak about the pesky little Sap Beetle that eats our pollen frames.

Dr. Heather Grab is an assistant professor in the department of entomology at Penn State University, where her research and extension programs help growers to balance pest management needs with the services provided by beneficial insects like wild pollinators. Prior to joining Penn State, she was a senior lecturer and postdoctoral research associate at Cornell University and at Virginia Tech where she studied the pollination services provided by wild bees to high value crops like strawberries, raspberries, tomato and squash. 

She'll give a talk on The Behavior and Nesting Biology of Bumble Bees. Bumble bees are a diverse and charismatic group of bees that exhibit a wide range of lifestyles. While they are social and can even be managed like their honey bee cousins they also have many differences that are important to consider when fostering environments where both bumble bees and humans can coexist peacefully. This talk will cover the basic life history and ecology of bumble bees with a focus on their nesting biology.

David Kollen is a Xerces Society Ambassador who is involved in educational and outreach work. He’s an Oregon Naturalist and Master Melittoligist. He'll give a talk on “Gardening for the Bees (and the Birds)”.

Nicola Twilley is the author of the book Frostbite.

We all know how important bees are for pollination and our food supply. She'll give a talk on what she learned about food while writing her book about food refrigeration -- including a piece of bee-related refrigeration history that she didn't share in the book.

Our speaker will be Ferhat Ozturk on Honeybee Products and Apitherapy. In this presentation, Dr. Ozturk will explore the fascinating world of honeybee products and apitherapy. From the golden elixir of honey to the healing properties of bee venom, this presentation explores the myriad benefits of these natural wonders. Discover the rich history of apitherapy, dating back centuries, and unlock the secrets of its modern applications in holistic wellness. Embark on a journey of exploration and enlightenment, as you uncover the incredible potential of honeybee products and apitherapy in enhancing your health and well-being.

Our speaker will be Dr. Daniel Swain, Climate Scientist at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. He'll speak about climate change in California, outlining what we know with high certainty, discussing some of the more speculative and uncertain aspects, and concluding with thoughts on what adaptations would be commensurate with the changes ahead.

Our speaker will be Dr. Geoff Williams, Associate Professor in the Entomology department at Auburn University. The topic will be Tropilaelaps mites: a looming threat on the horizon?

Akin to Varroa destructor, Tropilaelaps mercedesae is parasitic mite of honey bees in Asia. Recent detections of tropilaelaps in eastern Europe has shone a very big spotlight this mite. But, should beekeepers in western Europe and the Americas fear it?