This year we have a fantastic line up of speakers for you on an abundance of topics.
Please see the sign up page for what time these speakers will be presenting.
Kent Williams - Keynote speaker & master beekeeper
A Year in the life of a Beekeeper
What Beekeepers can expect throughout each season; how to manage around the usual problems of each season.
Races of Honey Bees
Description of various breeds of honey bees and the correspondoing characteristics for each breed, the pros and cons of each breed hybrid and sub-breed
EARL R. HOFFMAN, master beekeeper
Good bacteria, yeast and enzymes, and microbials we can use to suppress honeybee pathogens and disease: We shall investigate what microbials are? Where do they come from? How does the honeybee use them and what are their effects on pathogens and disease. Vitellogenin (VG), what is it and why is it important? Last, we shall discuss possible solutions to suppress honeybee challenges using probiotics.
The small hive beetle challenge, what are they and how do I deal with them ? We shall explore small hive beetles ; (Aethina tumida), where did they come from, what damage do they do ? and last, we shall describe both good and bad control methods to suppress this beekeeping pest.
Getting Started with Biodynamic Beekeeping: Basic principles and practices of Biodynamic Beekeeping will be introduced and discussed, along with practical ways to implement these
Michael Hansen, mdard
Commit to inspections, Keep good records: This presentation will address the importance of keeping hive records and what to look for when doing inspections. Identifying and managing apiary pests such as varroa mite and American foulbrood effectively.
Pollen and Propolis, the other gold from the hive: An old European saying, “if you have your own bee hive, you have your own medicine chest” a useful look at how to collect and prepare pollen and propolis for your own personal use or family and friends.
Absolute “Bee” Basics: Even before buying “Beekeeping for Dummies” what you need to consider in becoming a beekeeper. Time, money and resources that each beekeeper must have to keep good, healthy colonies.
One Queen at a Time: Queen rearing with few resources, using queen castles and nucs while using queen cells, OTS, Miller, and swarmed hive. No cell builders, grafting, starters, and tearing down a colony to rear queens.
Making herbal infusions for your beeswax products: Wellness is not just about what we put into our bodies, it is also about what we put onto our bodies. While many people today already avoid skincare products with synthetic ingredients, there is a growing crowd of people who have given up searching the ingredient labels in stores and have decided to make their own high-quality healing skin care products. In this course we will focus on a handful of healing herbs that can be easily found or grown in your own garden. You will learn the sometimes-tricky art of how to infuse oils with herbs and how to blend these oils with beeswax to create healing salves and creams.
Varroa biology and management: Many beekeepers are overwhelmed by all of the options for varroa control. Treatments range from good useful tools, to harsh chemicals, to useless gimmicks. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of each treatment option, and help guide beekeepers to make a plan to keep this pest under control.
Swarm biology and swarm control: Many beekeepers are intimidated by the process of swarm management, and many lose swarms because they wait too long to practice management. We’ll cover the early signs that indicate that a swarm will occur - so beekeepers can take action well before queen cells are formed, and we’ll discuss various strategies for managing colonies to prevent the loss of your bees from swarming.
What are you missing? Advances in Hive Monitoring: BroodMinder has been collecting hive data for several years and thousands of hives. We will explore what we have learned and how to use this information in conjunction with the HCC (Healthy Hive checklist).
Anne Marie Fauvel
Bee Informed Partnership – Hobby Beekeepers as Citizen Scientists: Do you want to do your part to improve colony health? Get to know what we do at the Bee Informed Partnership and participate in one of our programs. BIP has incredibly useful tools and resources available to the public, an enormous database your can search to find answers to your questions, sampling services and citizen scientist projects. Be Informed, Be Involved, advance national honey bee research and become a better beekeepers in the process
Lauren Bloom and Matt Richie
Modern Mead in the Mitten:
We will discuss mead through three different lenses:
The definition of mead and a brief overview of the industry.
Our meadery, what differentiates session style mead from traditional styles of mead, and our commitment to working with Michigan producers.
Finally mead fermentation- why mead is categorized as wine, differences from beer fermentation, nutrient deficiencies, temperatures and filtration, etc.
Queen Rearing Basics: We will explore some of the common methods of queen rearing used by both hobby and commercial beekeepers, with a focus on basic practices used to successfully raise quality queens.
Basic Langstroth Equipment: Explains the basic equipment needed using Langstroth 10 frame and 8 frame equipment. Tools and Items needed for basic beekeeping.
Chef Jim Ford
Honey Inspired Cooking Demonstration: Cooking/Baking with Honey, I will be making a Honey Garlic Shrimp with Grilled Pineapple appetizer and for dessert a Brown Butter, Honey and Lemon Thyme Cake. This Class will have a $5.00/5.25 supplies fee for the food sampling provided. Payable when you pick up your nametag, either pay Cash - $5.00 correct change please or with credit card $5.25
TREES FOR BEES:
There is always some new facet to learn about the plants that are vital to keep our honey bees and other pollinators alive.
"Being an Arborist and a nursery grower, as well as a beekeeper for more than 50 years has provided me with a unique understanding of trees, plants, and bees. Trees are the single largest source of pollen and nectar for pollinators throughout most of the U.S. Bees need trees for Spring build-up, for population growth, and for a honey crop. Trees are often overlooked as nectar sources, so I am passionate about spreading the word to other beekeepers."