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You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Mar 21, 2023 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Dr. Medhat Nasr, "Bee Queens: a Peach vs a Lemon"
Register in advance for this webinar:
us02web.zoom.us
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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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.
Webinar Speaker:
Dr. Medhat Nasr
Dr. Medhat Nasr is a highly regarded apiculturist, educator and regulator with over 45 years of experience in both the public and the private sector. In Alberta, he served as Alberta Provincial Apiculturist for 19 years. He extended the Regulatory- inspection program to include applied bee research and extension activities. In Ontario he was the first to introduce the concept of “Bee Tech-Transfer program” and established the first program “Ontario Bee-Tech Program” in North America as a vehicle to do applied research and directly transfer technology to beekeepers.
His expertise encompasses a wide diverse range of skills including pest management, beekeeping management, bee breeding, nutrition, bee disease and, and technology development and transfer. Research program resulted in developing formic acid registration for tracheal and varroa mite control (i.e. MiteWipe, Mite_Away, and Mite_Away2), Oxalic acid for Varroa treatment, HopGuard2 and Apivar® for Varroa treatment.
When: Mar 21, 2023 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Dr. Medhat Nasr, "Bee Queens: a Peach vs a Lemon"
Register in advance for this webinar:
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Dr. Medhat Nasr, "Bee Queens: a Peach vs a Lemon". After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
Let us talk about bee queens: A Peach vs a Lemon
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
----------
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.
Webinar Speaker:
Dr. Medhat Nasr
Dr. Medhat Nasr is a highly regarded apiculturist, educator and regulator with over 45 years of experience in both the public and the private sector. In Alberta, he served as Alberta Provincial Apiculturist for 19 years. He extended the Regulatory- inspection program to include applied bee research and extension activities. In Ontario he was the first to introduce the concept of “Bee Tech-Transfer program” and established the first program “Ontario Bee-Tech Program” in North America as a vehicle to do applied research and directly transfer technology to beekeepers.
His expertise encompasses a wide diverse range of skills including pest management, beekeeping management, bee breeding, nutrition, bee disease and, and technology development and transfer. Research program resulted in developing formic acid registration for tracheal and varroa mite control (i.e. MiteWipe, Mite_Away, and Mite_Away2), Oxalic acid for Varroa treatment, HopGuard2 and Apivar® for Varroa treatment.
