Big Island Beekeepers Association (BIBA) September Monthly Meeting

This month we have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Ethel Villalobos and Scott Nikaido, who will be discussing the latest on Africanized Honey Bees and several bee stressors including bee pests, climate, etc.

Dr. Ethel Villalobos’ Bio:

Ethel is originally from Costa Rica but has lived in Hawaii for a long time. She completed her undergraduate work at the Universidad de Costa Rica and later went on to obtain her Ph.D. in biology from UCLA. Her dissertation thesis ‘Reproductive strategies in solitary Hymenoptera: plasticity in mating and nesting behaviors’ focused on reproductive behavior on two species of leaf cutter bees and one species of tropical sandwasp. Ethel is directly responsible for the research involving varroa treatments, mite-bee interactions (mite reproductive potential), and colony health assessment, including hygienic behavior. Ethel is also interested in the development of outreach programs for farmers in need of pollination services. Check out the project she is involved with at The UH Honeybee Project: https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/wrightm/us.htm

Scott Nikaido’s Bio:

Scott was a field/lab technician at the University of Hawaii Honeybee Project for 11 years. He assisted with research focused on honey bee colony health, with an emphasis on bee pests and diseases such as varroa mites, small hive beetles, viruses and bacterial infections. He is currently an independent contractor and is working for a bee pest control company in Tucson, AZ. Scott oversees a section of the company that focuses on the relocation of feral honey bee colonies for use in honey and pollination services. Majority of these colonies are Africanized and thus need to be requeened for use in a commercial setting. In addition, they are starting to provide consultation for beekeepers covering a range of services on colony health: pest diagnostic services, nutrition, etc.

Please come with questions as there will be plenty of time for Q&A and an open discussion to follow!!!