- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
So when Yves Le Conte, director of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, Paris, toured the UC Davis campus prior to his keynote speech at the second annual Bee Symposium, "Bonjour" was not only a greeting, but a very good day.
He toured the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, and the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
Escorted by journalist/master beekeeper Mea McNeil of San Anselmo, he first enjoyed a luncheon catered by McNeil at the Laidlaw facility; toured the Bohart Museum, home of nearly eight million insect specimens; and then visited the honey bee garden, a half-acre bee garden located next to the Laidlaw facility on Bee Biology Road.
McNeil, who profiled him in a bee journal, described him as not only a rigorous scientist, but a warm, caring person. "It was his curiosity about mites that led him to make discoveries about bee pheromones that have substantially changed the understanding of bee behavior," she said. "A good deal of cross pollination took place as he met members of the UC Davis entomology community, and he relished a visit to the Bohart Museum."
Le Conte, known throughout Europe for his varroa mite research and the effects on honey bees, spoke on “Honey Bees That Survive Varroa Mite in the World: What We Can Learn from the French Bees.”
He related that the parasitic varroa mite, "a major pest for beekeepers," arrived in France in 1982, and that untreated colonies died after two or three years. Resistance of the honey bee to the mite is crucial for bees' survival, he said. He and fellow scientists are studying varroa-resistant bees. "We go to beekeepers and say 'Give me a piece of the wing of your queen--we want to study the DNA to select for (varroa) resistance," he said.
In addition to his groundbreaking work in Europe, Le Conte collaborated with bee scientist Gene Robinson at the University of Illinois to isolate the pheromone that helps regulate labor in the honey bee colony. Le Conte has also worked with Mark Winston, Marion Ellis and many others throughout the country. He is a member of the advisory board of the Bee Informed Partnership, which strives to help beekeepers keep healthy and stronger colonies.
The second annual Bee Symposium, held May 7 in the UC Davis Conference Center, and hosted by the Honey and Pollination Center and the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. Amina Harris, director of the center, and Neal Williams, associate professor in the department and a co-faculty director of the center, emceed the event.
![At the Laidlaw apiary: from left are staff research associate/beekeeper Bernardo Niño of the Laidlaw facilty; French bee scientist Yves Le Conte, director of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, Paris; assistant professor/bee scientist Brian Johnson; master beekeeper/journalist Mea McNeil; Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology; and Eric Mussen, Extension apiculturist emeritus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) At the Laidlaw apiary: from left are staff research associate/beekeeper Bernardo Niño of the Laidlaw facilty; French bee scientist Yves Le Conte, director of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, Paris; assistant professor/bee scientist Brian Johnson; master beekeeper/journalist Mea McNeil; Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology; and Eric Mussen, Extension apiculturist emeritus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/entomology/blogfiles/36493.jpg)
![At the Bohart: From left are Mea McNeil, Yves Le Conte, Eric Mussen and Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) At the Bohart: From left are Mea McNeil, Yves Le Conte, Eric Mussen and Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/entomology/blogfiles/36494.jpg)
![Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, discusses museum specimens with French bee scientist Yves Le Conte. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, discusses museum specimens with French bee scientist Yves Le Conte. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/entomology/blogfiles/36496.jpg)
![Entomology student Wade Spencer (far right) and Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum, show Yves Le Conte a Chaco golden knee tarantula, Grammostola pulchripes. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Entomology student Wade Spencer (far right) and Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum, show Yves Le Conte a Chaco golden knee tarantula, Grammostola pulchripes. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/entomology/blogfiles/36497.jpg)
![Robbin Thorp, distinguished professor of entomology at UC Davis, shows Yves Le Conte the device that he uses to catch and release bees in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. At left is Christine Casey, staff director of the haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Robbin Thorp, distinguished professor of entomology at UC Davis, shows Yves Le Conte the device that he uses to catch and release bees in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. At left is Christine Casey, staff director of the haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/entomology/blogfiles/36498.jpg)
![Yves Le Conte stands next to the six-foot-long ceramic mosaic bee sculpture that anchors the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. It is the work of artist Donna Billick. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Yves Le Conte stands next to the six-foot-long ceramic mosaic bee sculpture that anchors the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. It is the work of artist Donna Billick. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/entomology/blogfiles/36499.jpg)
![Discussing bee science at the Laidlaw facility are (from left) staff research associate Bernardo Niño of the Laidlaw; Norm Gary, UC Davis emeritus professor of entomology and retired bee wrangler; French bee scientist Yves Le Conte; and Elina Niño, Extension apiculturist. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Discussing bee science at the Laidlaw facility are (from left) staff research associate Bernardo Niño of the Laidlaw; Norm Gary, UC Davis emeritus professor of entomology and retired bee wrangler; French bee scientist Yves Le Conte; and Elina Niño, Extension apiculturist. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/entomology/blogfiles/36501.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The daylong symposium, themed “Keeping Bees Healthy,” will begin at 8 a.m. in the UC Davis Conference Center. Open to the public, it is sponsored by the Honey and Pollination Center at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science and the Department of Entomology and Nematology.
Le Conte, known throughout Europe for his varroa mite research and the effects on honey bees, will speak on “Honey Bees That Survive Varroa Mite in the World: What We Can Learn from the French Bees.”
In addition to his groundbreaking work in Europe, Le Conte collaborated with bee scientist Gene Robinson at the University of Illinois to isolate the pheromone that helps regulate labor in the honey bee colony. Le Conte has also worked with Mark Winston, Marion Ellis and many others throughout the country. He is a member of the advisory board of the Bee Informed Partnership, which strives to help beekeepers keep healthy and stronger colonies.
VanEnglesdorp focuses his research on pollinator health and honey bee health. He describes his approach to understanding and improving honey bee health as “epidemiological and multi-faceted.” He studies individual bee diseases and engages in large scale monitoring of colony health.
VanEnglesdorp was one of several founders of the Bee Informed Partnership. “As I traveled across the country sampling bees to try to find out what was killing them, beekeepers everywhere said that what they needed was a way to find out what other beekeepers did and which of those things worked,” he said. “Along with a group of our country's most influential apiculturists, the Bee Informed Partnership took hold.”
Other speakers include assistant professors Rachel Vannette and Brian Johnson, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology; assistant professor Quinn McFrederick, Department of Entomology, UC Riverside; and professor Claire Kremen, UC Berkeley and MacArthur Foundation Fellow.
For the Lightning Round talks, six-minute presentations are planned. Among those speaking will be Extension apiculturist Elina L. Niño.
“This is going to be a very exciting symposium,” said organizer Amina Harris, director of the Honey and Pollination Center at the Robert Mondavi Institute. “Not only are we bringing together two leading researchers for our keynote sessions, we will have presentations from several other ground breaking entomologists in the state: Claire Kremen, a MacArthur Foundation Fellow from UC Berkeley, Quinn McFrederick from the UC Riverside and Rachel Vannette and Brian Johnson from the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.”
In describing last year's inaugural Bee Health Symposium as “an overwhelming success,” Clare Hasler-Lewis, executive director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, said: “With a focus on exploring best management practices that help sustain the bee population for the future, we believe the 2016 Symposium will have even greater impact!”
The day-long symposium will conclude with a reception in the Robert Mondavi Institute's Good Life Garden where appetizers, mead, cyser (mead made with apples), local honey beers and assorted other beverages will be served.
Other Program Highlights
Graduate Student Research Poster Competition: Graduate student entomologists from UC Davis and UC Berkeley will present their research during the lunchtime poster session.
Lightning Round: This year's lightning round will include information from California Extension apiculturist Elina Niño, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, on her development of California's first Master Beekeeping Certification Program. Five other researchers and beekeepers are scheduled to provide five-minute presentations.
Vendors and Educational Exhibits: Vendors and educational exhibits will line the corridors of the Conference Center with beekeeping equipment, honey tastings, bee T-shirts and other items. The UC Bookstore will offer bee and honey-related books.
UC Davis, recently ranked No. 1 nationally for its Department of Entomology and Nematology, continues to lead the way in agricultural innovation and sustainability, in part through its pollinator-related research and conferences, including the Bee Symposium. The symposium is made possible through a generous gift from the Springcreek Foundation.
Tickets are $80, which includes breakfast, lunch and the reception. Student tickets are $20 (with valid identification). To register for this event, access http://honey.ucdavis.edu/events/2016-bee-symposium. For more information, contact Amina Harris at aharris@ucdavis.edu or (530) 754-9301. Prospective vendors should contact Liz Luu at Luu@caes.ucdavis.edu.
The UC Davis Conference Center is located on Alumni Lane, across from the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.
![Yves Le Conte, director of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, Paris, Yves Le Conte, director of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, Paris,](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/entomology/blogfiles/35261.jpg)