The expert panel on Wed. is open to everyone, free of charge. 
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Ontario Beekeepers' Association: Since 1881
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July 9, 2015
Dear <<First Name>>,

As Chair of the EAS15 Conference and on behalf of the OBA, EAS and the University of Guelph, I am excited to report that all our planning has paid off and we are ready to welcome you to this exciting beekeeping conference. Look below for just some of the learning opportunities for beginners and seasoned beekeepers alike. You can 'pick and choose' from over 100 sessions or spend hands-on time in the beeyard. Try to come, it's an unequalled opportunity to learn, not just from experts but from each other. Whether you keep bees for commercial purposes or for pure enjoyment, this conference is for you.

Hope to see you there!

André Flys, OBA Board Member
EAS President
Chair EAS15 Guelph Conference

EAS15 Guelph: shaping up to be the best ever!
From sunrise yoga to evening barbecues and all the panels and workshops in between, the EAS15 Guelph conference has something - and more - for everyone.

Follow one of the short course streams (Mon/Tues): Queen Rearing, Beginners Intro, Integrated Pest Management, and Advanced Beekeeping or 'mix and match' with dozens of sessions such as: 
  • Beekeeping equipment: getting started
  • Pest and disease identification
  • Honey bee nutrition
  • Interpreting colony conditions to diagnose swarming, supercedure and emergency queen rearing
  • Varroa mite control
  • Pest surveillance and biosecurity
  • Beekeeping in cities
  • American foulbrood: diagnosis and treatment
  • Helping bees prepare for winter
  • Ask Dr. Phil (Craft) Q&A
And spend some quality time in the beeyard with hands-on instruction from expert beekeepers.

The General Conference starts on Wednesday with two outstanding keynote speakers: then choose from four streams of workshops including such topics as:
  • Pesticides, parasites, pollinators: impacts of environmental stressors on bees
  • Data informed beekeeping: Best management practices
  • The legacy of early nutritional stress for honey bee foragers
  • The immune system of honey bees
  • The use of genomic tools for honey bee health
  • The honey bee health project: what have we learned so far
  • Fruits, vegetables and pro-bee-otics: natural treatments for nosema disease
  • Organic beekeeping
  • Creating forest-based beekeeping corridors
  • Antibacterial and antioxidant activity of Canadian honeys
  • Elemental honey bee breeding
Plus, plus, plus...the Honey Show, a beer making workshop, awards, shopping with our many vendors, (and our own EAS15 merchandise) and networking coffee breaks. Did we say you can spend hands-on time in the beeyard? Bring protective gear. And your camera.

Sign up today. Or get more information. Directions, housing, schedules - you can find it here. See you there for all or some of the conference. Tweet or follow us at #EAS15Guelph
Pollination

Come to the expert panel on emerging issues in pollinator health - free!

On Wednesday evening, August 12th at 7:30, there will be a special panel discussion addressing some of the emerging issues in pollinator health and agriculture. This will include the status and importance of pollinators in Ontario and worldwide; the results and strategies of monitoring programs in Europe (Italy); and some of the recent agricultural trends, including neonicotinoid seed treatments. This panel is of particular interest given the recent regulatory action in Ontario on treated seeds and the opportunity to balance IPM in agriculture and the multiple stressors in pollinators that must be addressed for the future health of agriculture and the environment.

The expert panel includes:
  • Nigel Raine, Rebanks Family Chair in Pollinator Conservation, University of Guelph
  • Christian Krupke, Professor of Entomology, Purdue University
  • Franco Mutinelli, Professor at Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Italy
  • Ernesto Guzman, Professor and Director of the Honey Bee Research Centre, University of Guelph
  • Moderator: André Flys, OBA Board Member and owner Pioneer Brand Honey, Nobleton
Due to the importance of the topic, admission is open to all at no charge.

For more information, check out the EAS website.
 
 
 

Keynote speaker 1: Mark Winston

Value or values: Audacious ideas for the future of beekeepingMost recently known for his best seller, Bee Time: Lessons From the Hive, Dr. Winston has had an illustrious career in researching, teaching, writing and commenting on bees and agriculture, environmental issues and science policy. One of the world's leading experts on bees and pollination, he directed Simon Fraser University's Centre for Dialogue for 12 years, where he achieved wide recognition as a distinguished Canadian educator.

"There are powerful lessons to be learned from bees about how we humans can better understand our place in nature, engage the people and events surrounding us with greater focus and clarity, interact more effectively in our relationships and communities... and open ourselves to a deeper understanding of who we are as individuals, communities and a species."

Wednesday, August 12th, 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. in Rozanski 104
 

Keynote speaker 2: Robert E Page Jr.

The Spirit of the hive: mechanisms of social evolutionDr. Page is Provost of the Arizona State University and Foundation Chair of Life Sciences. His background is in behaviour and population genetics, and the focus of his current research is on the evolution of complex social behaviours. Using the honey bee as a model, Dr. Page has dissected their complex foraging division of labour at all levels of biological organization from gene networks to complex social interactions. Dr. Page has published more than 230 research papers and five books, and is the recipient of many prestigious awards including the Humboldt Prize.

Wednesday, August 12th, 9:30-10:30 a.m. in Rozanski 104

Fun and insight: the technical tour on Thursday!Thursday of the conference will feature the Tech Tour, which will give registrants a chance to see many varying aspects of the industry. Everyone will be bussed, so no worries about maps, carpooling or sampling a little mead and local beer.

The Tech Tour is included in the price of the Wed.-Thurs. conference registration, or it can be purchased as a single day registration.

We'll start the morning with a tour of Ontario's largest apiary, Parker-Bee Apiaries, where owner Mike Parker and the OBA have been working on an osmosis unit to clean old comb. Next, we're off to Niagara Falls, where we will be having a boxed lunch (included) at the Falls. Then we're off to the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory with over 2,000 colourful tropical butterflies floating freely among lush, exotic blossoms and greenery.

Optional free evening event: (Limited to the first 350 registrants.) To finish off the day, we will be touring the honey house of one of Ontario's most successful beekeepers and staying for a BBQ dinner with a live band, and of course, the annual auction, including a queen auction. John and Alison Van Alten of Dutchman's Gold Honey and Maple Products and Tuckamore Bee Company have graciously offered to open their honey house for this rare opportunity. Come, it will be fun!

Note: If you have any items that you would like to donate to the silent or the main (not very silent) auction, please let us know.
 

 

  

 

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