The USDA Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory and the Louisiana State Beekeepers Association will hold the 23nd Annual Field Day on Saturday, November 2, 2019. The event will be held at the laboratory, located at 1157 Ben Hur Rd, Baton Rouge LA 70820. This is near the intersection of Nicholson Drive (Hwy 30) and Brightside Dr., which is about two miles south of the LSU football stadium. A rain-out date on Saturday, November 9 has been set for that possibility.
Gates will open at 9:00 a.m. with presentations and activities scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Field Day will include a series of talks in the morning from members of the Louisiana Beekeepers Association and the USDA-ARS staff about Louisiana beekeeping and research being conducted at USDA-ARS lab. Afternoon sessions and demonstrations on various beekeeping topics will be offered for beginning, intermediate and advanced-level beekeepers.
The Fall Field Day offers beekeepers and attendees a chance to meet established USDA-ARS scientists working at the Baton Rouge Lab as well as well as six new or more recent staff members. These include three scientists and three postdoctoral associates. Kate Ihle is a molecular biologist who is studying the mechanisms of disease and parasite resistance in honey bees. Vincent Ricigliano is an entomologist investigating aspects of honey bee nutrition, especially the efficiencies of food use by different stocks of bees. Arián Avalos is a geneticist using genomic analyses and computational biology to improve bee stocks and bee breeding methods. Hannah Penn is an entomologist who is evaluating honey bee stocks for their response to deformed wing virus. Perot Sealau uses genomics to assess genetic diversity in honey bees and to study host-pathogen interactions. Thomas O’Shea Wheller is a biologist who came from England to study stress factors that lead to colony losses in the commercial pollination industry.
A nonrefundable, pre-registration fee of $35.00 is required for attendees 12 years of age and above. Children 11 and under must stay with their parents at all times. Children and volunteers will be charged $15 for the catered lunch at the event. Pre-registration will be from October 2 through October 16. You may pre-register (and submit payment) at labeekeepers.org with the option to pay by credit card or PayPal. A printable pre-registration form will be located at labeekeepers.org that may be mailed along with a check made payable to Louisiana Beekeepers Association to LBA Treasurer, Beth Derr, 210 Meadowlark Dr, Jefferson, TX 75657 and must be postmarked by October 16. Registration will be available at the door for the increased fee of $40 per person.
For additional information please visit labeekeepers.org or contact Dr. Frank Rinkevich (225-276-3998 or frank.rinkevich@ars.usda.gov) or Joe Sanroma (318-346-2805). For questions regarding online registration, please contact Jennifer Brown (601-493-3447).
