lecture – Burgh Bees

Upcoming Talk – “Apiforestation, the Future of Beekeeping” with Tammy Horn

Topic: “Apiforestation, the Future of Beekeeping” Speaker: Tammy Horn Time: Friday, September 28th @ 7PM (Doors will open at 6:30 PM for mingling) NOTE: Following the talk, Tammy will be signing copies of her books and there will be a tea and honey tasting for all to enjoy! Location: The Big Idea Cooperative Bookstore & Cafe 4812 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15224 EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Biography: Dr. Tammy Horn graduated with a B.A. in English from Berea College in 1990. In 1997, she finished her doctorate at the University of Alabama in 1997 in Twentieth Century Modernism. This same year, she volunteered to assist her grandfather in his apiaries. The real education began. So, while teaching in English and Appalachian Studies departments in Alabama and Kentucky, she wrote Bees in America: How the Honey Bee Shaped a Nation (University Press of KY 2005). She was a perfectly horrible beekeeper during this time. Then, while teaching at Berea College, she was named NEH Chair of Appalachian Studies in 2006. Horn started a small honey bee monitoring project on coal mine sites. She also traveled to South Africa and Hawaii to intern with Big Island Queens. This time in the field was a first-rate education into industrial extraction and industrial queen production. Horn began to formulate a way to reclaim with pollinator habitat on mine sites in an effort to set up industrial beekeeping in eastern Kentucky. In 2007, Horn traveled to Australia, specifically to study surface mining laws at Peabody Mine Sites, in MacKay, Queensland. In 2008, Horn started developing beekeeping-related reforestation methods on reclaimed mine sites at the Eastern Kentucky University. Her second book Beeconomy: What Women and Bees can teach us

By Josh Kucharski|September 13th, 2012|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: lecture, speaker, tammy horn, the big idea|Comments Off

Upcoming Talk – “Beekeeping in Detroit: Then and Now” with Rich Wieske

Topic: “Beekeeping in Detroit: Then and Now" Speaker: Rich Wieske Time: Friday, June 22nd, 2012 @ 7PM (Doors will open at 6:30 PM for light refreshments) Location: Penn State Extension of Allegheny County 400 North Lexington Street, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15208-2585 (Please check-in at the security office) EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Biography: Rich Wieske has been a “bee activist” and educator for more than a decade. As co-owner of Green Toe Gardens, he manages about 100 hives in Detroit and neighboring Oakland County and has mentored hundreds of new beekeepers. Rich established and maintains the Bee Sanctuary at Catherine Ferguson Academy, a Detroit high school for young and expectant mothers working on their GEDs. At University of Michigan/Dearborn’s Environmental Interpretive Center, he is developing an Urban/Suburban Sustainable Bee Yard. Rich Wieske is a board member of the Southeast Michigan Beekeepers Association, Michigan Beekeepers Association and a member of the American Apitherapy Association. Themes: Joy of beekeeping in an urban environment, Honeybees-the original herbalist, Value of honeybees to people and their environment. For more information about this lecture, please contact Burgh Bees at info@burghbees.com.

By Josh Kucharski|June 10th, 2012|Categories: archive|Tags: lecture, rich wieske, speaker|Comments Off

Jay Hosler Talk at Toonseum with Burgh Bees!

On Saturday, October 15th, the ToonSeum and Burgh Bees invite you to a day of special events with Jay Hosler, author of the award-winning graphic novel Clan Apis. Families and honey-lovers of all ages are invited to attend this unique lecture exploring the incredible world of honey bees and the creative process of a science cartoonist. Jay Hosler is a brilliant storyteller and the author of the award-winning graphic novel Clan Apis. He is also a professor of neurobiology at Juniata College who studies olfactory processing in honey bees. Clan Apis is the story of a worker bee named Nyuki and her adventures growing up in and out of the beehive. Her exploits are based on the real events in the life-cycle of the honeybee. Jay's work reveals a deep insight into the world of insects and a unique understanding of the capacity of comics for teaching. At 4:00 pm, Jay will present Drawing a Super Insect!, an informal workshop for kids and parents: New insects are being discovered every year and it's time to discover a few at the Toonseum! In this workshop/talk, participants will get to hear about all of the amazing things that insects can do and then learn how to draw their very own! Tickets for this event are $4 at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2273983546?ref=ecal At 6:30 pm, representatives from Burgh Bees, Pittsburgh's urban apiary group, will be on hand for a local honey tasting and to answer questions about their various projects. Several meads will also be available to sample for patrons over 21. Then at 7:30 pm, Jay will present Attack of the Comic Book Insects, a fun lecture about his creative process in bringing bee-heroine Nyuki and Clan Apis to life. Tickets for this event are $5 at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2274166092?ref=ecal Proceeds benefit Burgh Bees educational projects. Space is limited. A seperate ticket is required for both events.

By Josh Kucharski|September 17th, 2011|Categories: archive, UpcomingEvents|Tags: jay hosler, lecture, toonseum|Comments Off

Burgh Bees Lecture Series – Maryann Frazier

Saturday, August 27th Doors will open at 3:30 PM with refreshments, and the talk will begin promptly at 4 PM. Penn State Extension of Allegheny County 400 North Lexington Street, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15208-2585 (Please check-in at the security office) Please note that this event is for dues paying members of Burgh Bees only. To find out more about membership, please visit https://www.burghbees.org/?page_id=12. If you are not a member, you can either become a member before attending via the linked membership page, or else you can pay at the door. RSVP is required to attend, so please visit our EventBrite page for this event in order to get your ticket for attendance. Topic: "What we know about pesticides and what we can do to protect our bees" Speaker: Maryann Frazier Abstract: Pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids such as imidacloprid, are being blamed for CCD and pollinator decline in the US and Europe. Are pesticides a serious problem for our honey bees? Which pesticides are involved and how are they impacting our bees? More importantly, what can we do to protect them? These topics will be discussed by Maryann Frazier, who is a member of a PSU team looking at the impacts of pesticides on honey bee declines and CCD. Biography: Maryann received her B. S. in Agriculture Education from Penn State University in 1980. In 1983 she completed a Masters of Agriculture in Entomology, specializing in apiculture. She has worked as the assistant state apiary inspector in Maryland and for two years as a beekeeping specialist in Africa and Central America. For the past 22 years she has held the position of Senior Extension Associate in the Department of Entomology at Penn State and is responsible for honey bee extension throughout

By Josh Kucharski|August 23rd, 2011|Categories: archive, UpcomingEvents|Tags: lecture, maryann frazier, speaker|Comments Off

Why is Honey the Best Food in the World?

Date: Tues., June 14 Time: 7 – 9 p.m. Instructor: Joe Zgurzynski Level: Beginner Fee: $20 for Phipps members; $30 for non-members Location: Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park Master Beekeeper Joe Zgurzynski of Burgh Bees will discuss the physical properties of honey, the types of honey, the health benefits of honey, and how to use honey in the kitchen. Part of the presentation will be a honey tasting. This lecture will also include a brief overview of basic honey bee biology and beekeeping techniques, as well as how bees and beekeepers produce honey. One of the goals of this presentation will be to show that honey is the best food in the world!

By Josh Kucharski|June 6th, 2011|Categories: archive, UpcomingEvents|Tags: joe zgurzynski, lecture, phipps|Comments Off

Inaugural Burgh Bees Lecture Series – Dewey Caron

Thursday May 19th 7:00 PM Penn State Extension of Allegheny County 400 North Lexington Street, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15208-2585 (Please check-in at the security office) Please also note that this event is for paid members of Burgh Bees only, and seating is limited. To find out more about membership, please click here or visit the 'membership' tab above. If you are not a member, you can either become a member via the membership page, or you can pay at the door. RSVP is required to attend, so please visit our EventBrite Page for this event in order to get your ticket for attendance. Topic: Colony Natural History Speaker: Dewey M. Caron (via live videoconference) Emeritus Professor, University of Delaware Affiliate Professor, Oregon State University Abstract: The key to successful bee stewardship is a working understanding of two important cycles -- the life cycle of the workers and the annual seasonal cycle of the bee colony. Looking into a colony we review the life cycle and check that all is progressing normally for workers -- if drones and queens are being reared, we are provided with some additional "clues" as to what is happening. Concentrating on the key features of the annual cycle, anticipating versus simply reacting to developments in the colony, can vastly improve annual harvest and/or enjoyment of your bees. I will discuss the life and annual cycle of a bee colony and the current bee loss epidemic. Small-scale urban beekeepers may hold, I believe, the key to helping to understand such losses and, along with pollination fees for honey bee rental to growers needing bee pollination, the economic future of the entire bee industry. Biography: Dr. Caron has authored 5 books, numerous book

By Josh Kucharski|May 9th, 2011|Categories: archive, UpcomingEvents|Tags: dewey caron, lecture, speaker|Comments Off