A contingent of Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild members attended the annual Eastern Apicultural Society meeting in Ellicot City, MD. this summer (first week in August 2024)
Dave can be seen in the picture above along with from DC Beekeepers, Frank Fennell from Bowie, MD, Yasmine from CCBA, Candace from Maryland, and our own beloved Carissa from here and there. This was the bronze winning team from the Bee Olympics held at the Turf Valley Resort in Ellicot City MD, under the auspices of the Eastern Apiculture Society. This was the highlight of the event. Of course Jeff Eckel, another cherished Guild member was there and his team won Gold. But enough about us!
What about that conference?
EAS was over a week long, had several tracks over those days along with many featured speakers, hundreds of attendees, about 20 vendors, and lots of excitement. It would be impossible to capture the whole thing in one post. What follows are some of the highlights from my point of view. Anyone else who would like to contribute their observations is welcome to do so in the comments below or in their own post.
Pests and such
Beekeepers love to talk about pests and we have plenty. You’ve read about Tropilaelaps by now. They’re not here yet.
Hive beetles of course are here and Humberto Boncristiani shared his experiences with this pest both in and out of academia. Beetles are an environmental problem, can’t be fully controlled just inside the hive (probably). Working to trap them outside the hive. Larva are incredibly tenacious, can survive 60 days looking for soil. Bait your beetle traps with dead beetles. Make sure your bees chase beetles.
Varroa Zachary Lamas had the most interesting information on where varroa is found throughout the year. Springtime they’re in the drones. Pick up young drones – found in the brood nest – and look for mites on their bellies. In summer time pick up callow workers. This might be a good way to monitor for mites actually.
Hornets! The venerable, honorable, and much loved and admired Jeff Pettis was there to tell us about Tropi, yes but also the yellow legged hornets. These are nasty and have made beekeeping in Europe much more difficult. The murder hornets were eradicated – or so they think – in the northwest. These new ones have been seen in GA but they’re hoping to eradicate them there too.
Great Beekeepers!
So many great beekeepers to listen to and talk to. Russ Sprangel, Erin Evans, Kent Williams, Jeff Eckel, Toni Burnham, Bill Hesbach, Frank Linton, Phil Frank, George Datto, and others.
And Speakers!
There were many excellent speakers (most of whom are also beekeepers) including Pennslyvania’s Margarita Lopez-Uribe, Sam Droege, Michelle Flenniken, and Dr. Elizabeth Capaldi
Eventually, I’ll link all those names to web sites.
Let’s Get Ready for 2025!
Next year EAS will be in New Jersey. Right on our doorstep. I propose that the Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild sponsor coffee for the entire event as our service to a cause greater than ourselves.