Honeybee Pest and Pathogen Workshop

An Intermediate Beekeepers Class

with Samantha Alger and Alex Burnham, University of Vermont

June 16, 2016 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in the Crispe Room at the Vermont Veterans Home  

This special workshop will require pre-registration and will cost of $6 per person (payable in cash or check). These fees will support Samantha and Alex’s research on honeybee and bumblebee health.

This program will focus on identifying honeybee pests and pathogens using microscopes.  We will be looking at samples of nosema, waxworms, small hive beetles, and foulbrood.  There will be a presentation, as well as hands-on activities looking at pest and pathogen samples.  We will also discuss and practice a technique for standardized mite counts.  If you have samples of bee diseases from your own apiary, please contact club president Jeanne Davis, so that we can plan on including them in the day’s program.  

To sign up, please contact Julie Cassiday at jcassida@williams.edu or 802/447-1194 or Jeanne Davis at jdavisbwheat@comcast.net or 802/823-7955 by June 9th.  Class size will be limited to 30.  Those with at least a few years beekeeping experience are most likely to benefit from this workshop.

Our presenters will be:

Samantha Alger (PhD candidate) is researching bee viral diseases in Vermont, the role of plants in virus transmission, and the effects of pesticides on bee health and behavior.  She leads Vermont’s involvement in the U.S. National Honey Bee Survey, gathering baseline data on diseases and pathogens, and she works closely with Vermont beekeepers, providing educational workshops on bee health and disease management practices.
Alex Burnham, a junior in the University of Vermont’s Graduate College’s Accelerated Masters program, studies bee viruses and parasites with Samantha Alger and serves as hive inspector and sample collector for the National Honey Bee Survey. 

In addition:

• In our last newsletter, Jeanne was not recommending the Thermosolar Hive as a product to invest in; she was sharing information about a new way to look at mite management.  Please don't feel encouraged to support their fundraising.
• Our next club meeting on Thursday, August 11th will be an outdoor picnic and tour of David Sicko's hives in Petersburg, NY.  Mark your calendars!