Laughing with Rudy
Big news!
The 2010 Bee Symposium has just been announced for Sunday March 7, 9-5 pm and it looks pretty damn good. For the last three years I have been attending and I always have a fabulous time. It's great seeing all the beeks in the area come together. I'm curious about the new location, the SUBUD Center in Sebatopol -- in the past it was held at the Summerfield Waldorf School. I'll miss the beauty of Summerfield but really we're not there for the Waldy experience, we're there to be educated on bees. Seriously, the symposium is one of the things I really look forward to every year besides my birthday, the Turkey Trot, and the Sea Otter.
Some of the highlights from past symposiums were when the Waldorf beekeeping ladies got all up on Eric Mussen for doing AI's (artificial insemination) on queen bees, Angelo's tri-tip sandwiches one year for lunch, or last year Serge and Eric tag-teaming Gunther Hauk about his hive management techniques. Perhaps that's why the symposium wasn't invited back to Summerfield this year, maybe we bagged on the big BD beekeeper too hard. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about Gunther and that crazy BD beekeeping, it's just in my opinion some biodynamic management techniques make he and his bees part of the problem. My fundamental belief is that if you're routinely medicating your bees then you're interfering with natural selection (even if Rudy said it was cool). Other than the medication part I can get behind a lot of the BD hub-hub. Why, just last night I secured a source for BD 501 preparation (horn-silica). The silica prep made from powdered quartz (packed inside a cow horn and buried in the soil for six months through spring and summer) meant to be applied as a foliar spray to stimulate and regulate growth. I think I'm going to experiment misting it on my bees, although the BD freaks say to feed it to your bees too, but that sounds sketch to me. I'll just spray 'em. If you know me, I'm sure you are laughing inside, but why not try it? Especially since I found a great source that is pure and legit and he'll trade for honey. What...? Just because you can't back it up with science, doesn't mean biodynamics are quackery? Remember what Rudy said just before the Christmas lectures: He Who Laughs Last Should Remember Who Made Him Laugh... or was that Muller? Really, I don't know much about that, but what I do know is that if you miss this symposium you'll bee very sorry.
The speaker lineup is amazing:
Robbin Thorp, Ph.D., UC-Davis, Emeritus, bee biologist confirmed
Randy Oliver, Grass Valley, Biologist and forward thinking commercial beekeeper-confirmed
Serge Labesque, 2006 Western Apiculturist Society's (WAS) “Innovator of the year”-confirmed
Kathy Kellison, PFSP Executive Director-confirmed
Dr. Eric Mussen, Entomologist, UC Davis “2006 Beekeeper of the Year”-invited
I'll be excited to see all the speakers - funny how Eric hasn't confirmed yet. I don't know much about Robbin Thorp but Randy, Serge, Kathy, and Eric are all amazing speakers, you'll definitely learn something from all of them. After a quick gooogle search it appears Robbin is big into the bumbles. Doing research at UCD, Robbin is apparently looking to the government to impose regulations on the movement and health of commercial bumble bees to protect the declining native bumble bee population. He and Kathy are going to compliment each other really well. All I ever hear about is the "honeybees are dying - the honeybees are dying", but all the native bees are under extreme environmental stress as well, so it sure is nice to have people like Kathy and Robbin out there going to bat for the bumbles.
Here are the stats on the symposium. Please do yourself a favor tell a friend and attend.
Check out last year's post about the symposium:
http://www.typepad.com/site/blogs/6a00d8345175ae69e200e55220bc148833/post/6a00d8345175ae69e2011279484e1228a4/edit 4th Annual Bee Symposium
Proceeds to Benefit PFSP
Sunday, March 7, 9-5 (Lunch on Own)
SUBUD CENTER, 234 Hutchins Ave, Sebastopol, CA
$25 ‘Early Bee’ until March 1-$30 after March 1 (including if register at the Symposium)
To Register by Mail (must be received by March 4):
2010 Bee Symposium
ATTN: Alice Ford-Sala
1088 Badger Ct
Santa Rosa CA 95409-2795
Check payable to PFSP, reference ‘Symposium’
We encourage you to register, attend and participate! The PFSP leadership team is working to put together an outstanding lineup of speakers and panels, with time scheduled for interactive discussion between participants and speakers.
Additional Background:
This one-day symposium will be packed with speakers and information offering information updates and new perspectives on honeybees and native pollinators, beekeeping practices, innovative approaches and ecological strategies for beekeepers, and actions that can be taken by beekeepers, growers and other interested supporters who wish to help our bees.
Speaker Lineup to date includes:
Robbin Thorp, Ph.D., UC-Davis, Emeritus, bee biologist-confirmed
Randy Oliver, Grass Valley, Biologist and forward thinking commercial beekeeper-confirmed
Serge Labesque, 2006 Western Apiculturist Society's (WAS) “Innovator of the year”-confirmed
Kathy Kellison, PFSP Executive Director-confirmed
Dr. Eric Mussen, Entomologist, UC Davis “2006 Beekeeper of the Year”-invited
Updates on the Symposium Program will be posted at http://pfspbees.org.
If you’d like to volunteer to help out at the Symposium or with advance promotion, or have questions or suggestions, contact PFSP member-volunteer and Symposium Coordinator and Moderator Kathy Lanterman at symposium@pfspbees.org.
You can also help spread the word by forwarding this announcement to your contacts in the area!
Best, Kathy
PFSP Executive Director
Randy Oliver speaking on his knees.
Serge Speaking at Beekind.
Eric speaking at the WAS convention.
Eric speaking at SCBA.
Kathy speaking at Beekind.
Kathy speaking with Serge in the background.
Serge Speaking with Eric in the background.
Eric speaking with Serge in the background.
Serge speaking with Randy in the background AND some cat in the foreground wearing my t-shirt design.
Eric, Serge, Kathy, and Doug all speaking.
