Get the buzz on MCC beekeeping series
Submitted by McHenry County College
Join McHenry County College for a three-part series on beekeeping presented by three experts from 7 to 9 p.m. Fridays, Sept. 9, Nov. 4 and Dec. 9, in the MCC Conference Center, 8900 Route 14 in Crystal Lake.
The series explores the condition of the ancient honeybee in the challenging present-day environment. Three world-renowned speakers and authors will discuss their research, practical beekeeping and take a philosophical look at the man-nature interaction. The three-evening series is intended for beekeepers, naturalists and those who support nature.
The three-part series features these topics.
Queen Breeding and the Logic of Nature, Sept. 9: The latest advances in biology and genetics regarding strategies for queen breeding and production will be discussed. The new scientific findings call into question many assumptions and strategies for bee breeding. Guest speaker Randy Oliver brings his 40 years of practical beekeeping experience to suggest the most effective ways to breed for varroa resistant bees.Oliver owns and operates a small commercial beekeeping enterprise in the foothills of Grass Valley in Northern California. He manages about 700 colonies for migratory pollination and produces queens, nucs and honey. He earned a bachelor of science and master of science degrees in biological sciences.The Bee Informed Partnership, Nov. 4: Bees are dying in droves. What#146;s a beekeeper to do?Leading apiarist Dennis VanEngelsdorp explains how the bee informed partnership, beeinformed.org, proposes to help. Using epidemiological methods developed to investigate human epidemics, he will present the most current findings based on this year#146;s management practices survey. Find out which management practices work and which ones don#146;t.VanEngelsdorp is senior extension associate for the Department of Entomology at Penn State University. He has a bachelor of science in agriculture and a master of science degree in environmental biology from the University of Guelph in Ontario, and a Ph.D. from Penn State.Natural Beekeeping, Dec. 9: Beekeepers face new challenges in keeping bees alive and healthy, but, until now, there#146;s been no holistic orientation on beekeeping.Natural Beekeeping offers an alternative to chemical practices and delivers a program of natural hive management to produce long-term solutions to today#146;s beekeeping challenges: naturally resistant, healthier hives.Both novices and neo-pros receive tips on everything from genetics and breeding to pests and harvesting. Guest speaker Ross Conrad learned his craft from the late Charles Mraz, world-renowned beekeeper and promoter of apitherapy. Conrad is a former president of the Vermont Beekeeper#146;s Association, a regular contributor to Bee Culture #8212; The Magazine of American Beekeeping, and author of #147;Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches To Modern Apiculture#148; published by Chelsea Green.Ross has given bee-related presentations and led organic beekeeping workshops and classes throughout North America for many years.Cost is $25 for each session or $60 for all three. To register, use course IDs. Course NCC S70 001 is Queen Breeding and the Logic of Nature with Randy Oliver. Course NCC S71 001 is The Bee Informed Partnership with Dennis VanEngelsdorp. Course NCC S72 001 Natural Beekeeping with Ross Conrad; and Course NCC S73 001 is the entire three-speaker series.To register, call the MCC Registration Office at (815) 455-8588. For more information, call Amy Carzoli at (815) 455-8764 or Kristine Emrich at (815) 479-7570. 13171801A three-part series explores the condition of the ancient honeybee in the challenging present day environment at McHenry County College.Daily Herald Archives