Bee post the third
One of the biggest research facilities for bees in the state is the UC Davis Department of Entomology, and especially their Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. Their staff presented several times at the convention.
Eric Mussen (who is the CSBA parliamentarian and leader of the pack from what I can tell over at UCD) started with "A Glimpse at the Future of Beekeeping" starting with slides of members from 30 years ago, getting the nostalgia flowing first thing during the event. He emphasized the issues many of the commercial guys face (like how to retire and insure the survival of one's bees at the same time) and discussed the differences the industry has seen over those 30 years with the introduction of nosema, varroa mites, and more recently, Africanized bees and CCD. He also discussed the issues of honey importation and the potential impacts of CA's recent honey identification legislation that puts requirements on what can be called "honey" and what can't (many things sold as "honey" are often diluted with sugar or corn syrups).
Neal Williams discussed his research on the availability of viable forage for native bees throughout the state, but especially in the central valley. He discussed the possibility of using native pollinators for smaller or better integrated farming operations, and demonstrated where smaller organic grower who frequently intercrop were capable of growing without hiring any pollinator hives at all. He also discussed how to make our main farming acreage more bee friendly so those who do bring in pollinating hives wouldn't have such a hard time keeping them fed before the main almond bloom (the largest and most stressful crop for the commercial beekeeping industry). This, obviously, would tie in beautifully with Kathy's Bee Friendly Farming program. His presentation included absolutely amazing aerial views of the central valley color coded according to (a) hive opportunities (bare soil for most natives or wood for boring varieties), (b) forage strength, and (c) the combined results. I've mentioned his work repeatedly in my discussions with those I've talked to, and keep finding myself thinking about his work in particular.
Sue Cobey is one of the world's best known bee breeders as far as research. She has worked for 20 years trying to come up with a better bee, and in the process brought a lot of attention to the issues of import/export of bees and bee material like germplasm (specifically sperm). While she struggles to get Carniolan sperm from Europe even using research protocols (some of which she's helping develop), beekeepers are importing entire hives of Australian bees to help with the almond pollination. Considering that the Aussies are recently struggling to control an incursion of the Asian bee, and it's attendant mites, this discrepancy is suddenly looking very... illogical. Especially since one of the complaints about commercial beekeeping is that the breeding has resulted in such low genetic diversity. She's hoping her Old World-bred Carniolan strain will be available to the commercial market soon, and they seem to have good indications of being better resistant to several of the bee pests, but the recent article in the American Bee Journal indicates they don't do as well here as they do in colder climes (they are known for their strong overwintering skills).
According to my agenda, Michael Parella, the Department Chair, discussed the effect of Nosema during Almond Pollination but I don't remember him based on his UCDavis profile or my notes. He may have just been introducing Neal Williams (newly joined the department). Regardless, HE is the man to write to if you want to send money directly to any of the research listed above. While the university has a general Honey Bee Research Fund you can contribute to, if you send a check (made out to "UC Regents") with a letter to Parella indicating which staffer's work you want to support, your entire check will find it's way into the appropriate account for *just that researcher*. Handy, no?
Eric Mussen (who is the CSBA parliamentarian and leader of the pack from what I can tell over at UCD) started with "A Glimpse at the Future of Beekeeping" starting with slides of members from 30 years ago, getting the nostalgia flowing first thing during the event. He emphasized the issues many of the commercial guys face (like how to retire and insure the survival of one's bees at the same time) and discussed the differences the industry has seen over those 30 years with the introduction of nosema, varroa mites, and more recently, Africanized bees and CCD. He also discussed the issues of honey importation and the potential impacts of CA's recent honey identification legislation that puts requirements on what can be called "honey" and what can't (many things sold as "honey" are often diluted with sugar or corn syrups).
Neal Williams discussed his research on the availability of viable forage for native bees throughout the state, but especially in the central valley. He discussed the possibility of using native pollinators for smaller or better integrated farming operations, and demonstrated where smaller organic grower who frequently intercrop were capable of growing without hiring any pollinator hives at all. He also discussed how to make our main farming acreage more bee friendly so those who do bring in pollinating hives wouldn't have such a hard time keeping them fed before the main almond bloom (the largest and most stressful crop for the commercial beekeeping industry). This, obviously, would tie in beautifully with Kathy's Bee Friendly Farming program. His presentation included absolutely amazing aerial views of the central valley color coded according to (a) hive opportunities (bare soil for most natives or wood for boring varieties), (b) forage strength, and (c) the combined results. I've mentioned his work repeatedly in my discussions with those I've talked to, and keep finding myself thinking about his work in particular.
Sue Cobey is one of the world's best known bee breeders as far as research. She has worked for 20 years trying to come up with a better bee, and in the process brought a lot of attention to the issues of import/export of bees and bee material like germplasm (specifically sperm). While she struggles to get Carniolan sperm from Europe even using research protocols (some of which she's helping develop), beekeepers are importing entire hives of Australian bees to help with the almond pollination. Considering that the Aussies are recently struggling to control an incursion of the Asian bee, and it's attendant mites, this discrepancy is suddenly looking very... illogical. Especially since one of the complaints about commercial beekeeping is that the breeding has resulted in such low genetic diversity. She's hoping her Old World-bred Carniolan strain will be available to the commercial market soon, and they seem to have good indications of being better resistant to several of the bee pests, but the recent article in the American Bee Journal indicates they don't do as well here as they do in colder climes (they are known for their strong overwintering skills).
According to my agenda, Michael Parella, the Department Chair, discussed the effect of Nosema during Almond Pollination but I don't remember him based on his UCDavis profile or my notes. He may have just been introducing Neal Williams (newly joined the department). Regardless, HE is the man to write to if you want to send money directly to any of the research listed above. While the university has a general Honey Bee Research Fund you can contribute to, if you send a check (made out to "UC Regents") with a letter to Parella indicating which staffer's work you want to support, your entire check will find it's way into the appropriate account for *just that researcher*. Handy, no?