9th Annual Bee Forum: Honey Bee Nutrition

9th Annual Bee Forum: Honey Bee Nutrition – What are your bees eating and what’s eating your bees?

Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance hosts an annual Bee Forum to join local beekeepers and beekeeping experts to discuss relevant topics in the world of beekeeping, in addition to building community with Chicagoland beekeepers. This year’s theme is “Honey Bee Nutrition: What are your bees eating and what’s eating your bees?”. This year’s speakers will provide us with information to understand what role nutrition plays in a healthy development of a honey bee colony. To help build community and keep the conversation going, we have a shared potluck lunch.

Presenter Bio’s:

Dr. Dale Hill  is an expert in the field of animal nutrition with 38 years of nutrition formulation experience and is the primary developer of Dadant’s AP23 pollen substitute. Dr. Hill is the author of the updated nutrition chapter in the latest edition of the “The Hive and the Honey Bee”. He also teaches the Nutrition section of the Montana Master Beekeepers course, and has made numerous presentations on honey bee nutrition. He continues to provide nutrition consulting to Dadant and Sons.

Samuel Ramsey is a PhD student studying in Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp’s lab at the University of Maryland, College Park; Ramsey tries to maintain a focus on how insect research can benefit the public through the development of IPM strategies and STEM outreach initiatives. He studied entomology at Cornell University as an undergraduate focusing on Predatory/Parasitic insect behavior. His current work focuses on the effects of honey bee parasites on individual and colony level survivorship specifically targeting Varroa destructor and the related Tropilaelaps mite. Samuel’s enduring interest in entomology started 19 years ago and shows no signs of waning.

Tentative Schedule:

10:00 am – 10:30 am: Registration and light breakfast
10:30 am – 10:35 am: Welcome & opening remarks
10:35 am – 10:55 am: Screening of Slingers
10:55 am – 12:15 pm: Dr. Dale Hill – Nutritional Needs of a Colony and Individual Bees
12:15 pm – 1:15 pm: Community Potluck Lunch – bring a dish to share
1:15 pm – 2:25 pm: Samuel Ramsey – Varroa Feed on Hemolymph and Two Other Alternative Facts
2:25 pm – 2:35 pm: 10 minute break
2:35 pm – 3:30 pm: Dr. Dale Hill – Midwest Plants for Honey Bees
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Panel discussion and closing

Applications for scholarships will be open through February 28, 2018. Please fill out this form to be considered for a scholarship.

Cancellation Policy: Please note our cancellation policy: 2+ weeks prior you receive a full refund; within two weeks you can use the class cost towards a future program by June 30, 2018 or if a waitlist is enacted we can offer a refund.