Request a Speaker

​We are happy to give talks about honey bees, the Bee Informed Partnership, Sentinel Apiaries, or any of the other topics listed below. Click on the Speaker's name/picture to contact them for requests.
Lab Member
Topics Covered
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Nathalie Steinhauer
BIP Updates
  • Public target: beekeepers (specify region and operation size of interest; specify program of utmost interest if any)
  • Description: The Bee Informed Partnership has a lot of projects going on! From the Tech Transfer Teams, to the Sentinel Apiaries Program, Loss and Management Survey and APHIS National Honey Bee Disease Survey, and even more! Our core mission is to collect data from beekeepers, and sharing that information back to beekeepers, so they can take informed management decisions in their operation. We do not divulgate any identifiable information, but summarize the data into regional and seasonal trends that are meaningful to all beekeepers, participants or not. BIP updates are the opportunity to share the newest results of our programs with our stakeholders.
  • Duration: ~1h (flexible)
Honey bee losses and declines
  • Public target: flexible on demand for beekeepers, master gardeners, farmers, high schools, researchers, public policy makers.
  • Description: No one will disagree that honey bees are not in the best of health; but their population is actually not declining in the US, contrary to general belief. In this talk, we will differentiate the notions of population declines, CCD, mortality rates and poor health. We will clarify the health status of honey bees, in the US and in the world, identify the major drivers of poor bee health, the concerns and possible consequences of status quo, and what can be done to improve the situation.
  • Duration: ~1h (flexible)
Honey bee pests and diseases
  • Public target: beginner and second year beekeepers; specify region of interest
  • Description: What does an unhealthy colony looks like? What are the signs of trouble to look for? Can some issues be monitored for before they become problematic? Learning how to recognize issues early, how to monitor for pests and diseases and how to react after a diagnosis is critical to maintain colonies in good health or nurture them back to good health. In this class, we will cover what are the most frequent pests, diseases and general enemies of the hive, how to check for and identify the issues as well as how to (try and) fix them.
  • Duration: ~1h30 (no less than 1h)
Pollinators and Pesticides
  • Public target: flexible on demand for beekeepers, master gardeners, farmers, pesticide applicators, high schools
  • Description: The risk of pesticides is one of the most contentious question of pollinator health. Honey bees are the most studied pollinator, so we have a lot of data on them. Still, there are a lot of questions left unanswered, but this is a topic that is in constant flux with new research reaching us constantly. In this talk, we start by explaining what a pesticide is, and the diversity of products behind this catch-all term. We will cover how pesticide risk is evaluated, both in terms of toxicity and exposure, and how many different aspects come into play, from the chemistry of the product, to its application method. If it is of interest to the group, we will learn how to read a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). We also cover the gaps in knowledge, and what are the most recent advances in that regard. (Disclaimer: I am not a toxicologist. I am a honey bee researcher who is trying to keep us by popular demand)
  • Duration: ~1h
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Andrew Garavito
​​​Mite-Check
  • Description: MiteCheck is a citizen science project conducted in partnership with the University of Minnesota Bee Squad, Michigan State University, University of Maryland, and the Bee Informed Partnership. MiteCheck involves beekeepers self-reporting their mite levels to an online interface whenever they test for mites using their MiteCheck kit (or carrying out the standardized mite check protocol with their own supplies). Participants can use the online MiteCheck map to track mite trends in their area and across the country over time. This information can help guide management decisions. More data means better results for you!
  • Duration: 30 minutes
Sunflower Study
  • Description: Many commercially managed honey bee colonies are brought to sunflower fields for pollination and honey production. In the summer of 2012, beekeepers in North Dakota reported an above-average loss of honey bee colonies adjacent to sunflower fields. Beekeepers theorized that the year’s drought caused the sunflower nectar and pollen that their bees were collecting to have higher levels of the systemic pesticides applied as seed treatments to the sunflower seeds prior to planting. To test this theory we grew seed treated sunflowers in the University of Maryland Research Greenhouse and fed the resulting pollen to caged honey bees to see if drought stressed pollen had any impacts on bee health.  
  • Duration: 30-45 minutes
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Samuel Ramsey
​Varroa destructor Feeds on Hemolymph and Two Other Alternative Facts 
  • Description: Varroa destructor feeds exclusively on the hemolymph of adult and immature bees. It is considered to be such an obvious fact that it often goes without citation now in scientific papers. But there is very little if any experimental support for this universally accepted conclusion. My project, in partnership with the USDA and Project Apis m, has shown that Varroa are actually feeding on a very different tissue, the fat body, leading to a diverse combination of health impacts that have never been fully explained by feeding on hemolymph. With a better understanding of how this parasite impacts its host we can develop novel forms of control and new methods to remediate the health issues common to infected colonies.
  • Duration: 1 hour
 Drivers of Honey Bee Colony Losses: What the Data Actually Says 
  • Description: For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong (H. L. Mencken). This sentiment is clearly evinced in the complex issue of heightened honey bee colony losses. While the data do not present a singular culprit, they do show how the interconnected web of natural and man-made stress factors have negatively impacted honey bee populations. These data further imply that there are actions we can undertake to help the bees.
  • Duration: 45 minutes
Tropilaelaps: A Worse Fate than Varroa
  • Description: Tropilaelaps mites are spreading across the globe at a rate very similar to that of Varroa in the 1960’s, roughly 20 years before they arrived in the US. If they continue to spread this way, it is possible that they could be here just as quickly. These mites are much more destructive than Varroa with faster population growth, greater mobility, and no pesticides currently labelled for their treatment. There is a lot to learn about them. This presentation details what we already know and what we still need to figure out.
  • Duration: 45 minutes
Varroa Management: How to Treat Your Mites
  • Description: Do you want to treat for Varroa but cannot figure out what treatment method is right for you? Well, have I got the presentation for you! Hear the how, when, and what of Varroa treatment.
  • Duration: 45 minutes
Honey Bee Internal Anatomy: A Live Guided Dissection
  • Description: Ever wondered where the fat body, heart, or venom glands or other organs are in your honey bees? Have you wanted to a researcher with tons of experience dissecting bees to show you what this stuff looks like? Well, you are in luck. If you have got a dissecting microscope and a connected projector, I can take you through a few honey bee dissections and point out the key features of the internal honey bee landscape.
  • Duration: 30 minutes
Varroa Anatomy: And Why it Matters To Your Bees
  • Description: Varroa are well-adapted to being parasites of honey bees. Some of their most fascinating adaptations are difficult to see with the naked eye but with the help of Electron Microscopy Unit at the USDA, you can see the mites from the bee’s perspective and learn why they are so good at being so bad.
  • Duration: 45 minutes
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Rachel Anna Fahey
USDA APHIS National Honey Bee Survey
  • Description: The National Honey Bee Survey, in conjunction with the Bee Informed Partnership (BIP) and the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), is a comprehensive examination of colony health throughout apiaries in the United States.  The primary objective of the survey is to monitor for the presence or absence of invasive threats to honey bee colony health (Tropilaelaps, spp. and Apis cerana). Also, this survey takes an epidemiological approach to document honey bee diseases, pests, pathogens and in-hive pesticides.
  • Duration: 30-45 minutes
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Kelly Kulhanek
​​The Sentinel Apiary Program: Collaborating with Beekeepers to Improve Colony Health and Management
  • Description: The Sentinel Apiary Program, piloted in 2015, is a Bee Informed Partnership endeavor to engage beekeepers in citizen science while empowering them to make informed management decisions and communicate science to their beekeeping communities. It has also been an invaluable source of longitudinal colony health data. Learn about the logistics and results of this program!
  • Duration: 30 min – 1 hour
Bee Your Best Beekeeper: Data-Recommended Best Beekeeping Management Practices
  • Description: The Bee Informed Partnership has been conducting loss and management surveys for 10 years. Learn about the management practices we have seen reduce colony mortality at an operational level, and how we’ve tested them in the field for the last 3 years!
  • Duration: 30 min- 1 hour
The Bee Informed Partnership: Collaborating with Beekeepers to Improve Colony Health
  • Description: Learn about the Bee Informed Partnership including our mission, programs, and the latest cutting edge research we’ve been doing.
  • Duration: 30 min – 1 hour
Varroa Population Trends: Monitoring and Management
  • Description: Learn about how best to monitor for mites in your apiary, and how to treat for Varroa in a way that’s healthy for you and your bees. Monitoring mite populations over long periods of time can help you predict when you’ll need to treat in the future!
  • Duration: 30 min – 1 hour
State of the Bees Address: Causes of Colony Losses in the US
  • Description: Are honey bees really in decline? Learn what the data shows are actually killing US honey bee colonies including pests, pathogens, pesticides and poor nutrition, how their native bee cousins are faring.
  • Duration: 30 min – 1 hour
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Anthony Nearman
​General information and The History and Importance of honey bees
  • Description: General talk about the origin of honey bees and their importance
  • Duration: 30-45 minutes
Detailed honey bee nutrition
  • Description: An in depth look at what the honey bee requires for nutrition and food sources
  • Duration: 45 minutes
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Lisa Kuder
(Happy to do anything related to Native Bees and Habitat restoration for pollinators)
Landscaping to promote wild bees and other beneficial insects
  • Description: Learn about the habitat needs of wild bees and simple ways we can support them in our yards and communities
  • Duration: 30 - 45 minutes
Roadside Habitat Management Strategies that Promote Native Flora and Their Pollinators
  • Description: Preliminary results of a roadside pollinator habitat study -- minor changes to existing vegetation management strategies can have a big impact
  • Duration: 30 - 45 minutes
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Zachary Lamas
Winter Prep Begins Mid Summer
  • Description: We take very low winter losses on the Canadian border, often staying in the single digits for winter mortality, and we strive to have robust colonies each spring. This talk overviews the management we do beginning mid-summer through fall to prepare colonies for a successful winter. This talk is appropriate for beekeepers of any experience level. 
  • Duration: 1 hour
Requeening
  • Description: This talk is broken into several sections. It begins with finding and assessing a queen, why to requeen and three methods. The last method is a foolproof method for new beekeepers and one that we also use commercially.
  • Duration: 1 hour
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​​Lindsay Barranco
The Importance of Bees - Honey Bees and Native Bees
  • Description: A brief history and biology of honey bee colonies, how honey bees are utilized in commercial agriculture for pollination in the United States, challenges honey bees face, a description of native bees (both ground nesting and tube nesting) and what individuals can do to enhance their environments through floral plantings and optimizing sites for native bee nesting.
  • Duration: 45min
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Mark Dykes
UMD Bee Squad (please refer to separate request page)
umdbeesquad.com/education-opportunities/speaker-request/
  • Introduction to beekeeping
  • Honey bee biology
  • Pest and disease
  • Integrated pest management (IPM)
  • Organic pest control for bee colonies
  • Planting for honey bees
  • Varroa control
  • Annual hive management
  • Other topics upon request