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By Nick Markus , SABA Member
Dec. 6, 2010,
Report on the Northwest Corner Beekeepers Conference 2010
"Take care of the small things, and the big things take care of themselves," a quote by Emily Elizabeth
Dickerson took a whole new meaning during the Northwest Corner Beekeeping Conference sponsored by
the Washington State Beekeepers. This conference was held this last Oct. 28-30 in Hood River, Oregon.
With the outstanding support of the Entomology Department at Washington State University at Pullman,
Washington spearheaded by Prof. Steve Sheppard, with WSU graduate student bee researchers, this
conference took on a serious note. The collective esteem bee research presenters introduced the
attending commercial, serious, and backyard bee keepers to a world of the painstaking care and detailed
examination of their own bee research.
With the financial support Washington State commercial beekeepers like Eric Olson and his associates, the
many Wash. state bee keepers club members and volunteers, this conference was all about small things:
molecular genetic world wide research for the future of bee keeping.
Jeff Pettis, of Bee Research Lab in Beltsville. MD. said, "There is an ongoing full arsenal of world wide
molecular genetics bee research." His own research puts an emphasis on the behavior and chemical
ecology of honey bees in the hive around the many nations and the world.
His "Beekeeping in Thailand and China" presentation was fascinating. His slide pictures made it clear of
the places, direction of bees, environmental, ecological, and human impact beekeepers are struggling to
deal with around the world. "This picture in Thailand illustrates 40 bee nests in a single tree! The bees
migrate according to the weather," he explained.
"The Chines Bee Research Institute is enhancing is the management, selling and production of honey to
assist the Chinese commercial bee keepers," Mr Pettis pointed out to the audience. "The students are bee
research majors in genetic and biology. This Chinese government backed bee research institute is not
headed by a college president. He is a bee research director. Chinese bee research is important for
economic reasons and to meet future demands, " he emphasized. In addition, Jeff Pettis presented pictures
of the faculty and staff and the Chinese research building.
As a side note, I recently attended the 6th Annual Alaska-China Business Conference this Dec.1 at the
Anchorage Sheraton Hotel. Gao Zhansheng, Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in San
Fransisco gave the past, present, and future economic trends and influence his country presently has on
the world economic stage. He strongly emphasized,"The Chinese middle class is and will be the pillar of
China. The middle class self worth is increasing." I believe after hearing his facts for myself, the future
Chinese economic trend and influence will have an increased effect on the USA honey production industry.
Again, I digress here. Harold Heinz, Chief Executive Office-Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority, and
past president of ARCO Alaska , the keynote luncheon speaker stated, "It is easier and takes less time to fly
from Beijing than a round trip from Anchorage to Seattle." SABA members may ask what does this mean to
SABA members, , the California bee keepers, and back yard bee keepers? To the major United States
commercial honey business across the our country. The Chinese honey export to the USA will be cheap and
easily sent to the US consumers backed by the Chinese Bee Research Institute I mentioned earlier.
Kirk Anderson, of the ARS-USDA stated, "We need to know what is going on inside the bee hive, in other
words, microbial balance and the microbial ecology within the bee community." He stated, "We need to look
carefully of the effects of fungicides and the sub-lethal effects chemicals on the beneficial microbes in the
honey bee colony. How this might effect the food processing and nutrition processing for the health of
individual bee hives, especially with the CCD world wide concerns? We have to try and understand the
whole food processing chain from beginning to end, the total life of bees, and the nutritional needs at each
stage of bee life: Capping, larva, emerging bees, nurse bees and how each stage is effected by microbes."
In addition, foreign researchers around the world are involved and analyzing the bee culture in the area of
microbial and genetic research. Dr.. Irfan Kandemir, a Rhodes scholar and researcher at Dept. of Biology,
Ankara Univ., Ankara-Turkey shared his bee research knowledge of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, one of
the most studied species among insects.
He stated, "This bee is a native of the Old World and has a distribution in Europe, Asia, Middle East, and
Africa. In his biographical introduction he writes, "in very recent times our reliance on honey bee pollination
has been demonstrated in the light of losses due to CCD." Interestingly, he showed the conference bee
keepers a world map of very specific isolated locations in Africa and other countries were he has collected
bees for biological and genetic pool for his research.
Washington state resident Susan Cobey, a well known bee researcher has joined with the WSU honey bee
team and works split time with UC. Davis in California. With her help along with WSU Entomology Prof. Steve
Sheppard, WSU graduate bee research students Natalie Boyle, M.S. WSU student and Brandon Hopkins, a
PH. D. shared their graduate research projects to fully attentive audience of bee keepers.
Natalie Boyle explained her expertise and results on the apiary study of sub-lethal pesticides effects on
colony health. Equally important, Mr. Hopkins explained his research on the cyrogenic (extreme low
temperature preservation of honey bee sperm germplasm (chromosomes and genes) for future breeding of
honey bees. Their presentation was extremely informative, especially for commercial bee keepers!
As SABA members and other Alaskan beekeepers throughout Alaska, this conference has something in
common for each one of us. Basically, we get our bees shipped from California, "the mixing bowl," of the US
honey bee industry. This "California mixing bowl" have all the elements of molecular genetic world wide
research results on a single jet flight arriving from California to Alaska.
The NW Corner Beekeeping Conference research presenters clearly understand the quote, "Take care of
the small things, and the big things take care of themselves!" Beekeeping has become a world wide concern
as presented by these bee research presenters. It will be for SABA members as well.
Dec. 6, 2010,
Report on the Northwest Corner Beekeepers Conference 2010
"Take care of the small things, and the big things take care of themselves," a quote by Emily Elizabeth
Dickerson took a whole new meaning during the Northwest Corner Beekeeping Conference sponsored by
the Washington State Beekeepers. This conference was held this last Oct. 28-30 in Hood River, Oregon.
With the outstanding support of the Entomology Department at Washington State University at Pullman,
Washington spearheaded by Prof. Steve Sheppard, with WSU graduate student bee researchers, this
conference took on a serious note. The collective esteem bee research presenters introduced the
attending commercial, serious, and backyard bee keepers to a world of the painstaking care and detailed
examination of their own bee research.
With the financial support Washington State commercial beekeepers like Eric Olson and his associates, the
many Wash. state bee keepers club members and volunteers, this conference was all about small things:
molecular genetic world wide research for the future of bee keeping.
Jeff Pettis, of Bee Research Lab in Beltsville. MD. said, "There is an ongoing full arsenal of world wide
molecular genetics bee research." His own research puts an emphasis on the behavior and chemical
ecology of honey bees in the hive around the many nations and the world.
His "Beekeeping in Thailand and China" presentation was fascinating. His slide pictures made it clear of
the places, direction of bees, environmental, ecological, and human impact beekeepers are struggling to
deal with around the world. "This picture in Thailand illustrates 40 bee nests in a single tree! The bees
migrate according to the weather," he explained.
"The Chines Bee Research Institute is enhancing is the management, selling and production of honey to
assist the Chinese commercial bee keepers," Mr Pettis pointed out to the audience. "The students are bee
research majors in genetic and biology. This Chinese government backed bee research institute is not
headed by a college president. He is a bee research director. Chinese bee research is important for
economic reasons and to meet future demands, " he emphasized. In addition, Jeff Pettis presented pictures
of the faculty and staff and the Chinese research building.
As a side note, I recently attended the 6th Annual Alaska-China Business Conference this Dec.1 at the
Anchorage Sheraton Hotel. Gao Zhansheng, Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in San
Fransisco gave the past, present, and future economic trends and influence his country presently has on
the world economic stage. He strongly emphasized,"The Chinese middle class is and will be the pillar of
China. The middle class self worth is increasing." I believe after hearing his facts for myself, the future
Chinese economic trend and influence will have an increased effect on the USA honey production industry.
Again, I digress here. Harold Heinz, Chief Executive Office-Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority, and
past president of ARCO Alaska , the keynote luncheon speaker stated, "It is easier and takes less time to fly
from Beijing than a round trip from Anchorage to Seattle." SABA members may ask what does this mean to
SABA members, , the California bee keepers, and back yard bee keepers? To the major United States
commercial honey business across the our country. The Chinese honey export to the USA will be cheap and
easily sent to the US consumers backed by the Chinese Bee Research Institute I mentioned earlier.
Kirk Anderson, of the ARS-USDA stated, "We need to know what is going on inside the bee hive, in other
words, microbial balance and the microbial ecology within the bee community." He stated, "We need to look
carefully of the effects of fungicides and the sub-lethal effects chemicals on the beneficial microbes in the
honey bee colony. How this might effect the food processing and nutrition processing for the health of
individual bee hives, especially with the CCD world wide concerns? We have to try and understand the
whole food processing chain from beginning to end, the total life of bees, and the nutritional needs at each
stage of bee life: Capping, larva, emerging bees, nurse bees and how each stage is effected by microbes."
In addition, foreign researchers around the world are involved and analyzing the bee culture in the area of
microbial and genetic research. Dr.. Irfan Kandemir, a Rhodes scholar and researcher at Dept. of Biology,
Ankara Univ., Ankara-Turkey shared his bee research knowledge of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, one of
the most studied species among insects.
He stated, "This bee is a native of the Old World and has a distribution in Europe, Asia, Middle East, and
Africa. In his biographical introduction he writes, "in very recent times our reliance on honey bee pollination
has been demonstrated in the light of losses due to CCD." Interestingly, he showed the conference bee
keepers a world map of very specific isolated locations in Africa and other countries were he has collected
bees for biological and genetic pool for his research.
Washington state resident Susan Cobey, a well known bee researcher has joined with the WSU honey bee
team and works split time with UC. Davis in California. With her help along with WSU Entomology Prof. Steve
Sheppard, WSU graduate bee research students Natalie Boyle, M.S. WSU student and Brandon Hopkins, a
PH. D. shared their graduate research projects to fully attentive audience of bee keepers.
Natalie Boyle explained her expertise and results on the apiary study of sub-lethal pesticides effects on
colony health. Equally important, Mr. Hopkins explained his research on the cyrogenic (extreme low
temperature preservation of honey bee sperm germplasm (chromosomes and genes) for future breeding of
honey bees. Their presentation was extremely informative, especially for commercial bee keepers!
As SABA members and other Alaskan beekeepers throughout Alaska, this conference has something in
common for each one of us. Basically, we get our bees shipped from California, "the mixing bowl," of the US
honey bee industry. This "California mixing bowl" have all the elements of molecular genetic world wide
research results on a single jet flight arriving from California to Alaska.
The NW Corner Beekeeping Conference research presenters clearly understand the quote, "Take care of
the small things, and the big things take care of themselves!" Beekeeping has become a world wide concern
as presented by these bee research presenters. It will be for SABA members as well.
| Nick Markus at the Northwest Corner Beekeepers Conference in Oregon |
