Eric Mussen to Address Western Apicultural Society in Hawaii

Sept. 9, 2011

Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen explaining bees to a tour group. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

DAVIS---Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology will speak on “Current Beekeeping Problems: Disasters or Opportunities” at the Western Apicultural Society (WAS) conference on Tuesday, Sept. 13 in Kamuela,  Hawaii.

The annual conference will take place Sept. 12-15 in the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel in Kamuela.

The program also will include talks about beekeeping in Hawaii, alternatives to conventional beekeeping, new research, and colony collapse disorder and other colony losses.

Mussen, a five-time past president of WAS, has served as an Extension apiculturist with the UC Davis Department of Entomology since 1976, shortly after receiving his doctorate in entomology from the University of Minnesota.

Mussen writes the bimonthly Extension newsletter, from the UC Apiaries, considered one of the best and most informative in the industry, and Bee Briefs, both available free on the UC Davis Department of Entomology website. His research interests include managing honey bees and wild bees for maximum field production, while minimizing pesticide damage to pollinator populations. His research also focuses on maintaining healthy bees

Mussen is the recipient of numerous state and national awards for his work in educating the agricultural community, the beekeeping industry and the general public about honey bees.

He and  UC Davis professor-apiculturist Norman Gary (now retired), co-founded WAS in 1978 as a non-profit, educational organization designed specifically to meet the educational needs of beekeepers from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming; the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon; and the states of northern Mexico.

More information is on the website at http://groups.ucanr.org/WAS/.

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--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894