Tri-County Beekeepers Association Annual Workshop
Members of the Ohio State University Honey Bee Lab in the Department of Entomology recently participated in the Tri-County Beekeepers Association Inc.’s Annual One-Day Beekeeping Workshop, one of the largest beekeeping workshops held in Ohio. Our team joined the event as presenters and demonstrators in the Hands-on Experience room, where we had the opportunity to meet both beginner and experienced beekeepers and share the research currently being conducted in the Honey Bee Lab under Dr. Reed Johnson.
During the workshop, our undergraduate student Adrian Jenkins presented on hornets, with a particular focus on the yellow-legged hornet and the Asian giant hornet. Participants were able to see physical samples of the yellow-legged hornet, an invasive species that has recently become a threat to managed honey bee colonies in parts of the United States, particularly in Georgia and South Carolina. These samples were provided by the Clemson Agriculture and Pollinator Program at Clemson University, allowing beekeepers to observe the species up close while learning about the risks they pose to honey bee colonies.
Graduate student Adam Foster discussed his research in bee toxicology, focusing on toxicological and pesticidal bioassays across diverse bee species, such as squash bees, bumblebees, and honey bees.
During his demonstration, he explained how laboratory experiments are designed and conducted, giving beekeepers insight into how researchers evaluate pesticide effects and other environmental stressors on bees.
Another research topic introduced at the workshop was Dahee Ahn’s work on Varroa mite control using an arthropod-targeting fungus. Her research focuses on developing effective delivery methods and formulations that allow the fungus to be introduced into honey bee colonies in a way that maximizes its impact against Varroa mites while remaining safe for bees. She also shared information about a water-soluble Varroa sticky trap she developed for downstream assays used to evaluate the fungus’s effectiveness. This sparked many conversations with beekeepers about practical monitoring tools and potential future applications.
Dr. Reed Johnson also introduced several ongoing research efforts in the lab. One highlight was BuzzDetect, an audio-analysis system that uses microphones and machine learning to continuously monitor pollinator activity. This system is part of the primary research project led by our graduate student Luke Hearon.
Dr. Johnson also spoke about pollen science, demonstrating how pollen can be extracted from honey to identify the floral sources that contribute to its composition.
We were honored to share our research with the many beekeepers who visited the Hands-on Experience room.
Meeting members of the beekeeping community, exchanging ideas, and hearing their experiences made the event especially meaningful for our team. We were also deeply touched by the kind letters and messages left for our lab.
We look forward to continued collaboration between the OSU Honey Bee Lab and the Tri-County Beekeepers Association Annual Workshop in the future.
If you are interested in attending one of the largest beekeeping workshops in Ohio, please visit:
https://www.tricountybeekeepers.org/workshop
You can also follow the Entomological Graduate Student Association of The Ohio State University on Instagram and Facebook for updates on events and activities.
Editor: Dahee Ahn