You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: March 21, 2023, 7:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: "Bee Queens: a Peach vs a Lemon"
- a NY Bee Wellness Webinar
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_h-b5Li7TSOiG9O1fyQIaLA
https://tinyurl.com/2np79e3h Description:Recent surveys of winter losses in Canada showed one of the top three causes of high colony mortality is poor queen quality. To address this problem, many Canadian beekeepers rely on importing queens for making new colonies. Although this is a common practice; Saskatchewan beekeepers have been active in raising their own queens. Investigating the quality of produced queens showed that local queen production can start as early as mid-May in northern climate , but queens produced mid-June to early August had significantly higher average number of sperm per queen (6.27±1.08mil). Produced queens significantly varied in head and thoracic measurements among producers and within the rearing season.
The average number of sperm per locally produced queen was 2.96±1.54mil and this was overall 1.6 times higher than queens imported from other provinces in Canada or the USA in 2021. Specific recommendations were tailored and given to each local participant beekeeper based on the results in our assessments. Following-up with those queen producers in 2022, significant improvement in the average number of sperm was achieved (50% increase in sperm number). Additionally, reduced variation among tested queens was found. In 2022 testing imported queens showed that 25-50% had less than 1 million sperm per queen and they are most likely to supersede.
Nosema was another unexpected finding in imported queens as well as locally produced queens. These findings will be discussed. Production of quality queens in northern climates is viable. These locally produced quality queens can be better in improving colony survivorship.
Speaker:Dr. Medhat Nasr, Research Program Lead – Tech Adaptation Program, Saskatchewan Beekeepers Development Commission, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Dr. Nasr is a highly regarded apiculturist, educator and regulator with over 50 years of experience in both the public and private sector. In Alberta, he served as Alberta Provincial Apiculturist. He extended the inspection program to include applied bee research and extension activities. In Ontario he was the first to introduce the concept of “Tech-Transfer program” and established the first program “Ontario Bee-Tech Program” in North America as a vehicle to do applied research and Knowledge and technology transfer to beekeepers. Now, there are 7 programs in Canada and 5 in the USA to serve the beekeepers.
His expertise encompasses a wide diverse range of skills including pest management with emphasis in Varroa mites and Nosema, beekeeping management, bee breeding, and nutrition. Research program resulted in developing formic acid registration for tracheal and varroa mite control (i.e. MiteWipe, Mite_Away, and Mite_away2), Oxalic acid, HopGuard2 and Apivar® for Varroa treatment. Currently, he continues to screen and develop new alternative miticides for Varroa control and management of resistance.
Medhat has a passion for teaching. He has conducted many seminars and workshops and has given presentations at many conferences throughout Canada, United States, EU, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan and Argentina.
He has also received numerous awards for his contributions to the apiculture field in Canada and USA. Most recently, he was awarded Western Apiculture Society President Award. Medhat served as President of the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists from 2013 to 2017.
He graduated from Cairo University, Giza, Egypt with degrees in Entomology (B. Sc. and M. Sc.) and from University of California, Davis with a Ph. D. degree in Entomology.
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