Speaker: ​Dr. Christina M. Wahl, Associate Professor (retired) Wells College, and Courtesy Assistant Professor (retired), Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University.

A fourth-generation beekeeper from upstate New York who grew up working in her family’s commercial beekeeping business, the Thousand Islands Apiaries, Professor Wahl is a physiologist and developmental biologist with technical expertise in microscopic surgery, microscopic anatomy, and histology.  She has 30 years of research experience, much of it supported by the National Institutes of Health.  She has taught at Cornell University, in Ithaca, NY, and at Wells College, in Aurora, NY. 

Dr. Wahl has been a volunteer instructor for the NY Bee Wellness program, and has both taught and mentored beginning beekeepers in the Finger Lakes region.  She has designed and co-taught workshops on queen rearing.  She developed the educational exhibit on honeybees and pollinators at the New York State Fair. She is the editor of the book “Morphometrics” published by InTech.  She has authored several book chapters and many original peer-reviewed research papers and has been a member of several professional science organizations.  Professor Wahl also collaborated with Senior Extension Associate Emma K. Walters (Mullen) at Cornell University on a study entitled “Number and distribution of multiple foundress mites Varroa destructor in northern New York drone brood combs during spring and fall.”   She is actively engaged in efforts to better understand and prevent health problems of the honeybee. 

Speaker: Ed  Szymanski, along with his wife Marian, are homesteaders who take care of bees, chickens, and a lot of fruits, vegetables, and flowers on an acre-plus lot with no lawn in Franklin, Massachusetts. Ed and Marian speak to bee clubs and garden clubs about planting for honey bees and pollinators. Ed also runs an intermediate-level bee school program that last year drew 300 students.

Ed has been President of Norfolk County Beekeepers Association and is involved with both Massachusetts and Rhode Island state associations. He has made a hobby and a small business of photographing bees and pollinators at work. Ed's article "Top 10 Pollinator Plants for the Northeast" was be published in the Autumn issue of 2 Million Blossoms, a quarterly national magazine devoted to pollinators.

 A2B2 is still accepting registrants for the Bee School and it is not too late to enroll.  

Dave Pearce, lead instructor for the Ann Arbor Backyard Beekeepers bee school, will lead you through all the steps one should take in preparation to keep bees. In this fun and informative presentation, Dave will provide you with all you need to know about how much time, space, and money it takes to get up and running as a beekeeper. You might just be surprised at how easy it is to begin your very own adventure in beekeeping in your own backyard!  He will also provide you with information on how to join the Ann Arbor Backyard Beekeeper’s Beekeeping School (which begins in February).

Dave has a fun and engaging presentation style and an easy approach to learning. His method of teaching, along with funny stories from his own beekeeping adventures, will keep you entertained as you gain the knowledge required to take your first steps in becoming a beekeeper.

Even if you’re just curious, you don’t want to miss this!  We look forward to seeing you then.

Date: Tuesday, January 11  |  Time: 7 pm  |  Location: Online on Zoom

Date: Tuesday, December 14  |  Time: 6:30 pm  |  Location: Online on Zoom