UC Davis honey bee scientists will "bee" out in force this weekend at the annual California Honey Festival.
This event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, May 16, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, May 17, at the Yolo County Fairgrounds, 1250 E. Gum Ave, Woodland. Admission is free.
UC Davis is a major part of the festival, which celebrates the honey bee and its products.
UC Davis will be well-represented by the E. L. Niño Bee Lab and the UC Davis Bee Haven, both part of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT); the UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP), and Bee Health Hub (BHH). The organizations will be sharing educational and outreach space with the Sacramento Area Beekeepers’ Association (SABA) and The Hive, Woodland.
“This collaborative space will allow us to provide education, demonstrations, and visitor engagement across multiple aspects of honey bees and pollinators,” said Wendy Mather, co-program manager of CAMBP.
CAMBP, Bee Haven, BHH and SABA will staff the education and outreach tables, where festival-goers can learn about honey bee biology; observe the queen bee, workers and drones in the bee observation hive; view microscopy demonstrations; glean information on how to establish a pollinator garden; and learn about beekeeping equipment, bee pests and diseases. Also offered: youth craft activities, books and educational resources.
The California Honey Festival, which aims to promote honey and honey bees and their products, and educate the public about the crucial role of bees and other pollinators, was co-founded in 2017 by Amina Harris, then director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollinator Center (College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences); and the city of Woodland.
CAMBP. Elina Lastro Niño, professor of Extension, apiculture, and a member of the ENT faculty, is the founder and director of CAMBP. She established the organization in 2016 "to provide science-based training for beekeepers to manage colonies and contribute to pollinator stewardship statewide." CAMBP offers classes on queen rearing, instrumental insemination, and pollinator gardening, among others. It is designed as a continuous train-the trainer program, offering four certification levels--honey bee ambassador, apprentice, journey and master.
Bee Haven. The Bee Haven, directed by Niño, is a half-acre demonstration pollinator garden located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road. The garden was installed by the Department of Entomology and Nematology in the fall of 2009. It includes more than 200 native plants, art displays, and native bee condos.
Bee Health Hub. The Bee Health Hub, founded by Niño, offers "professional field and lab services to assist California beekeepers with their management decisions." It is a non-profit with a mission to support beekeepers and bee health.
The Hive. Amina Harris, the self-described "queen bee" of her family's business, Z Specialty Food/The Hive, will offer honey tasting and information about honey varietals at the California Honey Festival. Harris points out that there are more than 300 unique types of honey available in the United States alone, each originating from a different floral source.
She will be discussing the Honey Flavor Wheel, produced by the Honey and Pollination Center following six months of research and development. As Harris says: “We brought together a group of 20 people--trained tasters, beekeepers and food enthusiasts--who worked together with a sensory scientist to come up with almost 100 descriptors."
Harris describes the wheel as "invaluable to those who love honey and want to celebrate its nuances.” The front of the wheel lists the descriptors, including fruity, floral, herbaceous, woody, spicy, nutty, confectionary, caramel and earthy. The back of the wheel: how to taste honey. It includes four honey profiles (Florida tupelo, California orange blossom, Northwest blackberry and Midwestern clover).
Sacramento Area Beekeepers Association. SABA's mission is "to promote interest in and awareness of the vital importance of the honey bee and beekeeping to agriculture, commerce and the public at large. Its website provides information on how to become a member, and where to go for beekeeper assistance. Many of its members are also affiliated with CAMBP.
Honey Festival Speakers
On Sunday, several speakers from the UC Davis group will present talks on the Speakers’ Stage. Samantha "Sam" Murray, education and garden coordinator of the Bee Haven and a member of E. L. Niño lab and CAMBP, will speak at 4 p.m. on "How to Create Your Own Pollinator Garden." Other speakers will be CAMBP members Jean-Philippe Marelli, speaking about Melipona, a genus of stingless bees; and Mark Carlson, who will emphasize the importance of pollen and bee biodiversity.
For more information on the California Honey Festival's educational and entertaining activities (which will include live music, cooking demonstrations and vendors), access the website.
