Native bee specialist
Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California,
Davis, will be a keynote speaker at the 2010 Bee Symposium, sponsored by the
Santa Rosa-based Partners for Sustainable Pollination (PFSP). The fourth annual
symposium is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 7 in the Subud Center,
234 Hutchins Ave., Sebastopol.
Thorp will speak on native bees. "I plan to introduce some of the amazing diversity of native bees," he said, "and to focus on their nesting habits and nest site requirements."
Worldwide, there are some 20,000 species of identified bees. California alone has more than 1,600 species. These include bumble bees, carpenter bees, cuckoo bees, leafcutting bees, sweat bees and digger bees.
Thorp is involved with the research-driven UC Berkeley’s Urban Bee Gardens Web site, which lists what to plant to attract bees. The research is primarily the work of Gordon Frankie, a professor and research entomologist at UC Berkeley, and Thorp.
The fourth annual conference will offer updates and new perspectives on honey bees and native pollinators, according to Kathy Kellison, executive director of PFSP.
Another key speaker is Extension Apiculturist Eric Mussen, UC Davis Department of Entomology, a noted authority on honey bees. A member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology since 1976, he will speak on "Honey Bee Nutrition." The other main speakers include Kellison; researcher-beekeeper Randy Oliver of Grass Valley; and beekeeper Serge Labesque of Glen Ellen. The audience will have an opportunity to interact with the speakers.
The conference also will include information on beekeeping practices, innovative approaches and ecological strategies for beekeepers, Kellison said, "and actions that can be taken by beekeepers, growers and other interested supporters who wish to help our bees."
Thorp, who retired from UC Davis in 1994, continues to do research. Based at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, he focuses his research on the ecology, systematics, biodiversity and conservation of bees, including pollen specialist bees in vernal pool ecosystems. He is involved in research on the role of native bees in crop pollination, the role of urban gardens as bee habitat and declines in native bumble bee populations.
Since 2002, Thorp has participated as an instructor in The Bee Course, offered annually through the American Museum of Natural History, New York at its Southwest Research Station, Portal, Ariz.
The "early bee" registration for the 2010 Bee Symposium is $25 through March 1. After March 1, the cost is $30. There's a $10 discount for PFSP members. Anyone concerned about honey bee health and pollinators in general is invited to join, Kellison said. Plans call for interactive discussion between participants and speakers. Proceeds from the symposium to benefit PFSP.
More information is online at www.pfspbees.org/.