Speakers for this meeting will present IN PERSON for this meeting. You will also have the option of attending via zoom if you do not wish to attend in person, but it will NOT be recorded for future viewing.

Mini Presentation:

Scott Famous - Using Fondant for winter feeding

Main Topic:

Robyn Underwood's topic:

Which bees are best: Testing the performance of commonly available honey bee stocks for Midwestern and Northeastern beekeepers

There are many different stocks of honey bees available for purchase, but little work has been done to objectively compare their performance when kept in the same place using the same management protocols. This study compared 5 lines of bees kept in PA and IN to determine how they differ in performance.

Dr. Robyn Underwood received her BSc in Entomology and Applied Ecology from the University of Delaware and her PhD in Entomology from the University of Manitoba.  As an Assistant Research Professor, her research program focuses on honey bee health and practical beekeeping considerations. Specifically, she is studying the impacts of honey bee colony management (COMB) and queen origin on colony health and productivity. Her ongoing projects include experiments that assess the practical implications of different types of beekeeping philosophies (conventional, organic and treatment free), performance of honey bee queens from various genetic lines, and how different types of feed impact honey bee health. These ongoing projects have been extramurally funded (totaling almost $1.5 million) and have generated several extension product outputs. She has been part of the creation of several extension articles and webinars, and is working on editing and updating Penn State’s Beekeeping Basics book, Penn State’s Beekeeping 101 online course as questions arise, and is planning many more activities, including intermediate and advanced beekeeping content and the creation of a web application to help beekeepers diagnose and respond to parasites, pests and pathogens in their hives. Her research and extension aspirations work hand in hand. Conducting scientifically sound research projects to study beekeeper-applied questions is critically important. Bringing the results of the projects to the beekeepers through extension products then improves the industry while making beekeeping a more successful venture.