Our guest speaker in February was Zac Lamas, a PhD student in the Hawthorne Lab at the University of Maryland, where he studies varroa feeding behavior and how pesticides affect honey bee queens. His current work uncovered how varroa are actively feeding and switching from one adult bee host to another. Zac also created a novel method to rear honey bee queens in the lab, that he hopes will help lower the cost of pesticides research on queens. He was the recipient of the PAm-Costco award. As a fellow he is continuing to research these topics. His articles can be found in BeeCulture and BeeWorld magazines, he actively speaks at bee clubs and professional conferences. Zac previously worked for Michael Palmer at French Hill Apiaries in Saint Albans, Vermont. On the side, Zac is the owner and operator of RockStar Queens. He produces quality nucleus colonies and queens in central Maryland and Addison County of Vermont.
The video presentation is available for members only. Please contact us for details.