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.

Jennifer Radtke is a co-founder of BioFuel Oasis with over 18 years of beekeeping experience. She’s been teaching beekeeping classes for 13 years, and has published several articles in the American Bee Journal. She’s also a former Vice President of the ACBA and the author of a book on Bay Area beekeeping. In this live presentation via Zoom, she will offer practical tips on how to prevent hive robbing as the summer dearth approaches. You’ll learn about robbing screens, entrance reducers, and why you shouldn’t “open feed” honey cappings to your bees! She’ll also answer any questions you have. (Note that there is no additional in-person meeting in July.)

Amy represents Dalan, who recently announced the Vaccine for American Foul Brood. She is a field technician and leads beekeeper relations at Dalan. Previously, Amy spent 7 years with the USDA studying honeybee nutrition, microbiome, pathogens and toxin exposure. She holds a BS in Wildlife Conservation and Management and a MS in Entomology, both from the University of Arizona. Amy enjoys traveling the US in her self-converted camper van with her dog Miles and tending to her personal honeybee hives.

In this presentation, she will discuss how the world’s first vaccine for bees works, how to administer it and what conditional licensing means. 

Dr. Bartlett will speak on the topic of genetic diversity.

“My work integrates across ecological and evolutionary biology using techniques spanning mathematical models to field studies. My current focus explores how changes in host ecology affect the ecology of their infectious diseases, and consequences for both pathogen and host evolution. I apply this to managed apiculture in an effort to assist beekeepers in maintaining viable honeybee populations, and includes nutrition, ecotoxicology, and wider integration with agroecology from the perspective of a pests & pathogens biologist.”