 Did you know that there are over 450 species of native bees in MI!
The kicker is that honey bees are NOT one of them! It's important for beekeepers to remember our native pollinators. Who are our native MI bees? Here's a short list, but I'd also recommend this YouTube video by MSU professor of entomology Rufus Isaacs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2N5DoyRoLI All Seasons Bees: Bumble Bees Sweat Bees Carpenter Bees Spring Bees: Mason Bees Miner Bees Cellophane Bees Cuckoo Bees Summer Bees: *Squash Bees* (my favorite!: https://www.facebook.com/DyceLab/videos/359136995931540) Leafcutter Bees Long-horned Bees Top 10 Things You Can Do To Help Native Pollinators: 1. Provide Habitat: Don't have a turf grass lawn. Put up a native pollinator house. 2. Don't Use Pesticides: Or, if you HAVE to use them, find the least harmful time, location, season, etc. to use them. 3. Plant Pollinator Friendly Plants: And not 1 or 2. Pollinators are much more likely to frequent clusters or bunches of flowering plants. 4. Plant Trees: Trees are the meadows of the sky! Maples and Willows are especially important as early pollen sources while fruit trees (NOT PEARS!!!) provide nectar. 5. Become a Wildlife Gardener and/or Plant Native Plants 6. Adopt a Monarch and Plant Milkweed: Butterflies are important pollinators too! 7. Protect Grasslands and Native Habitat: Through community endeavors and by talking with your local government officials or voting for habitat conservation. 8. Join Conservation Organizations: And donate generously! 9. Post a Yard Sign: To advertise the importance of your pollinator garden. 10. Spread the Word About Native Pollinators on Social Media: Or at your local garden or plant club or on your blog. Topic: Managing Your Apiary for Overwintering SuccessThe main presentation starts at 7 pm, but feel free to sign in starting at 6:30 pm for a beginners Q&A session. See our Facebook page or join via the Zoom link above. NOTE: Please post questions/comments in the Zoom chat. Facebook is not monitored during our educational meetings.  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. Please join us - our monthly meetings are always free and open to the public!Topic: Sustainable BeekeepingManaging your apiary for survival and resilience  The main presentation starts at 7 pm, but feel free to sign in starting at 6:30 pm for a beginners Q&A session. See our Facebook page or join via the Zoom link above. NOTE: Please post questions/comments in the Zoom chat. Facebook is not monitored during our educational meetings. 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. Please join us - our monthly meetings are always free and open to the public!
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. Go to the Education tab and sign upDate: Tuesday, January 11 | Time: 7 pm | Location: Online on Zoom Topic: What If?How to identify situations when working with colonies and strategies to address them The main presentation starts at 7 pm, but feel free to sign in starting at 6:30 pm for a beginners Q&A session. See our Facebook page or join via the Zoom link above. NOTE: Please post questions/comments in the Zoom chat. Facebook is not monitored during our educational meetings.
Please join us - our monthly meetings are always free and open to the public!Date: Tuesday, December 14 | Time: 6:30 pm | Location: Online on Zoom Topic: Open Forum Q&AA2B2 President Mike Nardelli and Mentorship Coordinator Jen Haeger will answer participant questions on all things beekeeping.
Please join us - our monthly meetings are always free and open to the public!Date: Tuesday, November 9 | Time: 7 pm | Location: Online on Zoom Topic: Irish Honeybee Conservation with Wild ColoniesMichiel from Boomtree Bees will share his experience with honeybee conservation in Ireland.  The main presentation starts at 7 pm, but feel free to sign in beginning at 6:30 pm for an open Q&A session. See our Facebook page or join via the Zoom link above. NOTE: Please post questions/comments in the Zoom chat. Facebook is not monitored during our educational meetings. Speaker: Michiel Verspuij from Boomtree Bees "Growing up in my hometown Wellseind, a little place along the river Maas in the Netherlands, I was always out in nature. From a young age I was fascinated with the environment around me, particularly trees. I was intrigued by how adaptable they are, their different shapes and structure and how useful they are to both wildlife and humans. This led me to go on to study Forestry and Landscape Management in Velp, Gelderland, NL. After completing my studies I came to Ireland in 2001 where I started a forestry contracting business in Galway. Throughout these years I became increasingly aware that things needed to change. Hedgerows were disappearing and biodiversity on farms was diminishing because of the intensification of farming practices. At this point I changed career and went into organic farming. Here it became clear that bees were vital for pollination of crops. With that in mind I started a beekeeping course and got a hive of bees. It soon became apparent to me that conventional beekeeping is more focused on honey production and is less concerned with what the bees require to live a healthy, natural life. I began to research and found that there were more wholesome ways of beekeeping which in turn led me to explore how bees live in the wild. Given the increasing loss of wild habitats I looked at ways to mimic their natural nesting sites in cavities in trees." Please join us - our monthly meetings are always free and open to the public!Date: Tuesday, October 12 | Time: 7 pm | Location: Online on Zoom Topic: Preparing Your Hives for Winter
Please join us - our monthly meetings are always free and open to the public! |
