Join us for our monthly gathering to connect, learn, and share in our passion for beekeeping. Here’s what we have planned:

Welcome & Club Business

• President’s Welcome: A brief welcome and overview of the meeting’s agenda.
• Treasurer’s Report: Update on the club’s finances.
• Membership Report: News and updates on our club membership.
• Club News: Announcements and important news items.

Speaker Presentation

Why don’t we sample drones?

Varroa the honey bee, and deformed wing virus represent a complex vector-host-pathogen system. Understanding the transmission dynamics of this system is imperative for us to develop solutions for high annual losses. Unfortunately, there is still a lot we don’t know about this system, including which bees mites are feeding on. For nearly 40 years we thought mites preferred nurse bees, when in fact, they prefer to feed on adult drones. This talk explains how this affects everything from disease modeling to how we even sample for Varroa. Finally, we finish by suggesting a new sampling technique that can help predict infestations months before they are an impending disaster.

Speaker: Zac Lamas

Zac is a NIFA postdoctoral fellow under Jay Evans at the Bee Research Lab in Beltsville, MD. He focuses on how Varroa feeding behavior drives viral transmission in a honey bee colony. His previous work uncovered that the ideal adult bee host for Varroa was misidentified for nearly 30 years. Varroa actually aggregate on adult drones, and only shift onto worker bees when drones seasonally disappear from a colony. He is now using his previous findings and weaponizing that information against Varroa. Our hope is to create an effective bait trap for cost-effective Varroa control. During his PhD he was the recipient of the PAm-Costco award where he studied the vectorial capacity of Varroa destructor. He actively speaks at bee clubs and professional conferences, largely sharing information on beekeeping management. Zac previously worked for Michael Palmer at French Hill Apiaries in Saint Albans, Vermont. On the side Zac is the owner and operator of RockStar Queens. He produces quality nucleus colonies and queens in central Maryland.

Break & Door Prizes

Take a moment to stretch your legs, grab a refreshment, and participate in our raffle. It’s a great chance to mingle with fellow members and win some beekeeping goodies!

What’s Happening In The Hive

An engaging discussion on current beekeeping activities, what to expect in your hives this time of year, and tips for managing your bees effectively.

Doors open at 12:30 PM, Meeting starts at 1:00 PM