20

19HOSTED BY :THE BEEKEEPERS CLUB INC

VICTORIAN

BEEKEEPING CLUBS

CONFERENCE

Major Sponsor

Moonee Valley City Council

This conference is proudly supported by Moonee Valley City Council through its biannual grants program.

2019 Club Host

The Beekeepers Club Inc

The Beekeepers Club is based in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne and supports beekeepers and beekeeping with training courses, information sharing and mentoring. Meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 7:30pm at their venue in Blackburn North. Regular beginners and advanced courses providing hands on experience are held at the club apiary in Heidelberg.

OUR SPONSORS

Gold partners

Agriculture Victoria – AIAC

Funded by the Victorian Honey Bee Compensation and Industry

Development Fund. The Conference Organising Committee is thankful for a

grant secured to help us fund this event for all Recreational Beekeepers

in Victoria for 2019.

Bec’s Beehive Bec’s Beehive Beekeeping Supplies & Training offers premium solutions for

all Australian Beekeepers; whether you are a newbee hobbyist or an

experienced sideliner we have something for you.

Feel welcome to visit us and join our community at

www.becsbeehive.com.au and yes we also ship Australia Wide. We can’t wait

to meet & support you with your beekeeping adventure.

Junkies Magazine Junkies is an eco-design, fashion and

lifestyle magazine focused on rethinking, reusing, reducing and

recycling. We are reclaiming the Junkie idea and want to see a

revolution of the thoughtful, inspiring and gorgeously creative.

Silver partners

Rooftop Honey

Since 2010 they’ve been flying the flag for bees in Melbourne. Rooftop Honey are Beekeepers with a vision of bringing bees back to the city and the suburbs of Melbourne. The aim is to be part a global effort to help save the honey bee from the various threats

of disease and human habitation.

Ballarat Regional Beekeepers Inc Ballarat Regional Beekeepers Inc. meets monthly, to share

interest in, and knowledge about beekeeping. Their members are passionate about beekeeping, honey, environmental

sustainability and education, and networking with other people who share an enthusiasm for everything “bees”. The focus in the

group is to support each other in beekeeping, and to provide education and ‘hands on’ learning opportunities.

Bronze partners

The Australian Manuka Honey

Association The Australian Manuka Honey

Association (AMHA) is the leading national body for the production and promotion of Manuka honey in Australia.

Ballarat Beekeeping Supplies

We stock supplies for the Backyard Beekeeper

specialising in Australian made or designed beekeeping

merchandise. You can find us at 306 Errard Street South,

Ballarat Central.

Steritech For almost 40 years, Steritech

has been the treatment provider of choice within

industries that require sterilisation and

decontamination.

Victorian Apiarists' Association

Whether you are a hobbyist beekeeper with one hive in the backyard, a semi-commercial

beekeeper wishing to take the next step towards becoming fully

financially dependent on beekeeping, or a full time

commercial beekeeper – we can help you.

WELCOME Welcome to the 2019 Victorian Beekeeping Clubs Conference. The aim of the conference is to provide a place for connecting hobbyist, recreational, sideline and commercial beekeepers from across Victoria and offer an educational and informative program to give you the knowledge, insights and practical information for you to continually improve your beekeeping. You will have the opportunity to hear from 19 informative and inspiring presenters including beekeepers, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs, biosecurity specialists, innovators and authors from across Victoria, Australia and other countries. Given the rise and rise of interest in bees and beekeeping globally it was almost impossible to choose from the vast array of talented speakers and topics on beekeeping for the one day program. We are delighted to provide you with a jam packed program which includes 16 sessions, with 3 keynote speakers, as well as three different beekeeping streams throughout the day. This means you get to choose from a wide variety of topics and speakers to get the most out of the day to meet your beekeeping area of interest and level of experience. You also have the opportunity to access experts and ask questions through an interactive online Q&A session throughout the day and visit trade stalls ranging from honey products, jewellery, beekeeping supplies, books and plants. Beekeeping clubs from around Victoria will also be represented offering regional information and opportunities for you to join a beekeeping club near you. Your conference registration fee includes honey themed morning and afternoon tea and lunch, access to trade exhibitor stands, a conference showbag and chance to win incredible prizes in the raffle. If you are joining us for the pre-conference dinner, you will indulge in delicious honey based dishes and drinks, and be entertained by Alanta Colley, a science communicator and comedian, who has performed her solo science and comedy shows ‘Parasites Lost’ and ‘Days of our Hives’ across Australia and in the USA. Whether you are new to beekeeping, or don’t even own your own hives yet, or whether you are a third generation beekeeper, this conference has something for everyone. The 2nd Victorian Beekeeping Clubs Conference is hosted by The Beekeepers Club Inc in collaboration with the Victorian Recreational Beekeepers Association. The Beekeepers Club Inc is based in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne and supports beekeepers and beekeeping with training courses, information sharing and mentoring. The Conference Steering Committee consists of beekeepers from rural, regional and metropolitan Victoria. Members are Vanessa Kwiatkowski, Amanda Lamont, Mat Lumalasi, Maureen Koegel and Deb Webber, with support from Scott Denno & Amanda Collins. Enjoy your day! 2019 Victoria Beekeeping Clubs Conference Organising Committee

HELPFUL INFORMATION Date Saturday 15th June 2019 - 8:30am – 5:00pm. Post Conference drinks from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. Location Hyatt Place Melbourne, Essendon Fields, 1 English St, Essendon Fields. Only 20 mins from Melbourne CBD and 10 minutes from Melbourne Airport, connected by a free express shuttle. Onsite parking is available. Public transport: Tram route 59 or Essendon Train Station. Venue Information Wifi is available in the conference venue. Smoking is not permitted inside the conference venue. Floor plan

Q&A – Poll Everywhere Throughout the conference we will be collecting questions from delegates and including them in our final Q&A session with an expert panel. To submit your question you can download the Poll Everywhere App onto your smart device and join the event amandalamont207. Or you can go to the website www.PollEv.com/amandalamont207. Questions to this poll are anonymous. You can submit your questions anytime throughout the day. Ask Amanda if you need some help setting it up. Raffles – Flow© Hive and Nuplas Hive Kit to be won! There will be 2 raffles drawn throughout the day. The first raffle will be drawn before the morning tea break and is exclusively for early bird registrations. You could win a Nuplas 8 Frame Starter Kit valued at $580 generously donated by Nuplas Apiarist Supplies. Purchase tickets for the second raffle throughout the day from Deb. This raffle will be drawn at the end of the day. There are some great prizes to be won, including a Flow© Hive valued at $1200 donated by Flow©. Tickets are 1 for $5 or 3 for $10. See the prizes on display in Australian 1. Book signing Hilary Kearny’s new book Queen Spotting will be available for purchase at the conference and Hillary will be signing copies during the breaks today in the Trade Hall. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get your own personally signed copy.

Sustainability and our Environment This conference has been organised with a view to protecting our precious environment and keeping it a safe place for our bees. We have not used single plastics and used recycled or recyclable products where possible. You are encouraged to use your own coffee cup and water bottle.

PROGRAM

8:00 - 8:30

Australian 1

REGISTRATION Tea and Coffee

8:30 - 8:40 WELCOME Costa Georgiadis and Mat Lumalasi, President, The Beekeepers Club Inc

8.40 – 8.45 OFFICIAL OPENING AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COUNTRY Moonee Valley Council Mayor, Narelle Sharpe Cr

8:45 - 9:30 KEYNOTE SPEAKER Professor Ben Oldroyd - Professor of Genetics, University of Sydney Honey Bee Mating Biology: Where, When and Why So Often?

9:30 - 9:40

SHORT PRESENTATION Australian Honeybee Bee Industry Council Victorian Recreational Beekeepers Association

9:40 - 10:25

KEYNOTE SPEAKER Hilary Kearney - Girl Next Door Honey, USA Broadcasting Your Beeswax: The Business of Storytelling

10:25 - 11:00 Catering and

Trade Hall

EARLYBIRD RAFFLE and MORNING TEA Browse the trade stalls and displays

11:00 - 11:45 Breakout

Rooms

Australian 1 Are Drones the Missing Link in Colony Losses? Dr Julia Grassl, Group Leader: Honey Bee Health Research Group

Australian 2 Australian Native Bees Dr Ken Walker, Senior Curator of Entomology at Museum Victoria

Australian 3 Anaphylaxis - Your Body’s Response to Bee Stings – and when is it an allergy? Dr Kymble Spriggs, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Melbourne Agriculture Victoria – Honey Bee Biosecurity Jessica Millar, Bee Biosecurity Officer, Agriculture Victoria

11.50 – 12.35 Breakout

Rooms

Australian 1 The Bioactive Properties of Honey – Using Honey to Kill Superbugs and Promote Gut Health Dr Nural Cokcetin, Research Fellow, The ithree Institute

Australian 2 Selection and Evaluation of a Breeder Queen Corrine Jordan, The Bee Lady Apiaries The Queen is Dead, Long Live the Queen Benedict Hughes, The Practical Beekeeper

Australian 3 Honey Bee Product Research to Inform Your Beekeeping Dr Liz Barbour, CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Honey Bee Products

12:35 - 1:30 Catering and

Trade Hall

LUNCH Browse the trade stalls and displays

1.30 – 2.15 Breakout

Rooms

Australian 1 Planting for Bees, Creating a Bee Friendly Garden Costa Georgiadis, Landscape Gardener, ABC, Gardening Australia

Australian 2

What to Expect When Bees Get Varroa and How Deformed Wing Virus Might or Might Not Interact Professor Madeleine Beekman, Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Lab, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney

Australian 3

Beekeepers Common Mistakes Vanessa Hoo, Mademoiselle Bee

2:20 - 3:05 Breakout

Rooms

Australian 1

Peter Marendy - Office of the Chief Executive Science Leader, Cybernetics CSIRO Bees with Backpacks

Australian 2

Beekeepers as Environmental Advocates Stuart Anderson, Flow© Co-inventor & Director

Australian 3

Bee Communities: Looking for the Local in Global Ben Moore, Ben’s Bees

3:05 - 3:30 Catering and

Trade Hall

AFTERNOON TEA Browse the trade stalls and displays

3:30 - 4:15

Australian 1

KEYNOTE SPEAKER Dr Amy-Marie Gilpin - Ecologist, Pollination Biologist, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment The Effect of Climate Change on Pollination and Pollinators and Implications for Beekeepers

4:15 - 5:00 CLOSE Q&A Panel Raffle Draw

5:00 - 6:00 Catering Networking and Refreshments

SPEAKERS AND ABSTRACTS

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Professor Ben Oldroyd - Professor of Genetics, University of Sydney Honey Bee Mating Biology: Where, When and Why So Often?

Ben will discuss the timing of mating flights, the characteristics of Drone Congregation Areas, how we can use (DCAs) to assess the density of colonies at landscape scale. What’s going on in north Queensland with interspecific matings between the Asian honey bee and the European honey bee. He’ll also be exploring why queens mate so often, and whether the queens available for sale in Australia are adequately mated. When a queen is five days old, changes in gene expression in her brain make her attracted to light and eager to fly. At about 2.30 pm, she leaves her colony and searches the area for a Drone Congregation Area - an open area surrounded by trees. (Suburban footy ovals are almost always a DCA). There she mates with 30-50 males, which turn inside out and die instantly as they mate. The

queen stores the sperm of each male, and never mates again. Ben Oldroyd is Professor of Behavioural Genetics at the University of Sydney. Ben completed a BSc (Agr) in 1980, PhD at the University of Sydney in 1984 and a Doctor of Science in 2005. Ben’s research focuses on the behavioural genetics of honey bees, the evolution of social behaviour and evolution more broadly. Ben is also heavily involved with the Australian beekeeping industry, including helping beekeepers breed better, healthier strains. Ben has made important contributions to understanding the genetic basis of worker sterility in honey bees. Ben has authored nearly 300 scientific papers on bees and social insects.

Hilary Kearney - Girl Next Door Honey, USA Broadcasting Your Beeswax: The Business of Storytelling

Beekeeping entrepreneur Hilary Kearney (Girl Next Door Honey), shares her adventures and misadventures in both beekeeping and business. Learn how storytelling has shaped her success and how you can use it drive yours. Hilary Kearney is the author of QueenSpotting and the creator of Girl Next Door Honey, a beekeeping business that offers educational opportunities to hundreds of new beekeepers each year. She maintains the blog “Beekeeping Like A Girl” and her writing on bees has appeared in Modern Farmer and Gritmagazines. Her work has been the subject of features in Huffington Post, Vogue, Mother Earth News, and other outlets. She rescues wild bee colonies and manages around 90 hives in her hometown of San Diego, California.

Dr Amy-Marie Gilpin - Ecologist, Pollination Biologist, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment The Effect of Climate Change on Pollination and Pollinators and Implications for Beekeepers

Amy will discuss what effects of climate change we are likely to see and what this mean in terms of changes in weather patterns such as increases in temperature and shifts in rainfall. How these climatic changes will affect plants such as changes in timing of flowering, duration of flowering etc and how this can have flow on effects on pollinators. Covering mismatches in pollinators and pollination to an Australian context and showcase her research in this area. How this could affect bees and the beekeeping industry in regard to important floral resources such as eucalypts and other important weed species such as clover as well as the direct consequences on honeybees.

Dr Amy-Marie Gilpin is an ecologist with research interests in pollination ecology, global change biology, behavioural ecology, invasion ecology and agroecology. Amy-Marie is particularly interested in both pure and applied ecology and employs a variety of techniques such as large-scale manipulative field experiments as well as manipulative glasshouse and growth cabinet experiments to study interactions between plant-pollinators and anthropogenic change.

SPEAKERS

Stuart Anderson, Flow Co-inventor & Director Beekeepers as Environmental Advocates

Stu Anderson, a second-generation beekeeper from New South Wales, Australia, is co-inventor of the revolutionary honey extraction system, the Flow® Frame. This invention was inspired by Stuart’s son Cedar who said; “There must be a better way to get honey from a beehive”. Together they took on what became a ten-year journey of designing and testing. When they proved they could gently harvest honey without opening the hive, they then brought it to market via one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in history. Since its launch in 2015, the Flow Hive has inspired tens of thousands of new beekeepers around the world with over 65,000 Flow Hives shipped to 130 countries.

Stu is pleased that Flow-based beekeeping is encouraging people to have a stronger connection with their environment. Tune into the seasons, and tune into this talk for inspiration as Stu shares stories about the important role beekeepers play as environmental advocates, from supporting a healthy environment for pollinators, to the success of using beekeeping as a calming experience, helping to grow healthy beekeeping clubs, the benefits of generosity, to finding your own innovation, and becoming a better beekeeper.

Dr Liz Barbour, CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Honey Bee Products Honey Bee Product Research to Inform Your Beekeeping

The Cooperative Research Centre for Honey Bee Products Limited was formed in August 2017. It now has 22 company members across Australia and supports 30 projects and the training of 17 PhD students. It is the biggest concentrated focus Australia has made on honey bee research, and comes at a time when the industry is rapidly changing. The CEO, Dr Liz Barbour, will present an overview of research questions being tackled and how the expected outcomes will assist all beekeepers in the industry. Dr Barbour is presently the CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Honey Bee Products, a federally and industry funded research program with the aim of adding value to the honey bee product industry.

Her research background is in tree crops, domesticating them for product development through tree breeding, trial assessment and asexual and sexual propagation. She has worked in industry, State Government and within the University system and in Australia has been awarded RIRDC, NHT, ARC Linkage and ACIAR funding as well as undertaken consultancies.

Professor Madeleine Beekman, Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Lab, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney What to Expect When Bees Get Varroa and How Deformed Wing Virus Might or Might Not Interact

The last decade or so has shown a clear association between Varroa and one particular virus: Deformed wing virus (DWV). The strong association has led many researchers to assume that Varroa somehow has caused a change in the prevalence of DWV and the harm the virus does to its host (its virulence). In many instances research now mainly focuses on the viruses Varroa potentially transmits from bee to bee, or vectors. Madeleine will talk about her experimental work she is performing in her lab in Sydney aimed at understanding the relationship between the prevalence and virulence of DWV in the absence of Varroa. Madeleine's work shows that the truth might be more complicated than previously assumed.

Madeleine Beekman is a professor in Behavioural Ecology at the University of Sydney. Madeleine has always been fascinated by insects in general and social insects in particular. Madeleine completed her PhD at the University of Amsterdam on bumblebees. After finishing her PhD in 1998, she moved to the University of Sheffield, where she worked both on honeybees and ants, a ‘tradition’ she maintained after her move to the University of Sydney in 2001. Currently Madeleine’s main honeybee research interests are conflict and cooperation in honeybee colonies and the evolution of virulence of honeybee RNA viruses.

SPEAKERS Peter Marendy – Senior Engineer, CSIRO Bees with Backpacks

Understanding and measuring stressors to bee colonies is a challenge endeavour. It requires a combination of well-designed experiments, technologies and collaboration among scientists worldwide. Paulo will introduce us to a global initiative designed to advance our knowledge about bee colony health.

Dr Nural Cokcetin, Research Fellow, The ithree Institute The Bioactive Properties of Honey – Using Honey to Kill Superbugs and Promote Gut Health

This talk will cover the antimicrobial properties of honey and its use as a topical treatment for wounds and skin infections, including those caused by antibiotic-resistant superbugs; the buzz about Australian ‘manuka’ honey; and how honey acts as a ‘prebiotic’ food that can improve our gut health by changing the balance of bacteria living in our gut.

Dr Nural Cokcetin is a research scientist specialising in microbiology at the ithree institute, University of Technology Sydney. Her research focuses on the medicinal properties of honey. Currently, Nural is investigating the antimicrobial properties of honey, with a drive to use this knowledge to promote the use of honey as a topical treatment for skin infections and wounds, and to develop new treatments for infections caused by superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics. Nural is equally passionate about doing research that has direct positive impacts for society, as she is about communicating her research to as broad an audience as possible.

Costa Georgiadis, Landscape Gardener, ABC, Gardening Australia Planting for Bees, Creating a Bee Friendly Garden

Costa is a qualified landscape architect and TV personality. his first hosted show was SBS’s Costa’s Garden Odyssey and he became host of ABC’s Gardening Australia in 2012. He worked in Europe on roof-top gardens, community composting, natural swimming ponds and wetlands working in Vienna, Austria and Bavaria. Costa speaks German, French, Czech, Greek and English. he has an interest in sustainability, health and nutrition. With his gardening and landscape architecture knowledge, Costa will share his knowledge, insights and wisdom on what you can do to create a bee friendly garden.

Dr Julia Grassl, Group Leader: Honey Bee Health Research Group Are Drones the Missing Link in Colony Losses? Declines in native insect pollinator populations and substantial losses in managed honey bees have been reported worldwide and become a widespread concern. Several causes have been investigated, such as honey bee genetics, parasites & pathogens, exposure to agricultural pesticides, habitat loss and/or climate change. More recently, a combination of potential factors have been studied as possible causes of declining

pollinator health. Here we focussed on the involvement of drones in honey bee losses. Pesticide as well as Nosema infections affect drones differently than workers and the combinations of these stressors have devastating effects on drone survival. This does not only reduce the reproductive success of individual colonies, but can also impact gene flow and genetic diversity at the population level, which are both known as key components of honey bee health. Dr Julia Grassl is a Molecular Biologist and Honey Bee Researcher in the School of Molecular Sciences at the University of Western Australia. Julia obtained a PhD h in Molecular Biology from Swansea University in the UK in 2007 and moved to Perth in 2009. As a group leader of the Honey Bee Health Research Group, her work now focusses on the impacts of genetic diversity, disease and nutrition on honey bee health. Julia works closely with beekeepers to provide answers and tools for selecting disease tolerant bees, detecting diseases earlier and finding nutrition thresholds through the application of molecular techniques. Julia also holds the position of Program Leader for the CRC for Honey Bee Products working on honey bee health.

SPEAKERS Vanessa Hoo, Mademoiselle Bee Common Beekeepers Mistakes

Vanessa will be speaking about some of the most common mistakes made by beekeepers of all levels and background. From the first year of beekeeping to 60 years of practice. From amateurs to commercial and sideliners, all beekeepers make mistakes. We are going to learn what they are, and what can we do to rectify them. Based in Adelaide, Vanessa Hoo AKA Mademoiselle Bee is a 2nd generation beekeeper and fervid advocate for bees, whose father is a French commercial apiarist. She rescues our pollinators, by

offering a diverse range of services around South Australia, from mentoring and education, to live bee removal, and adoption/sponsorship programs.

Benedict Hughes, The Practical Beekeeper The Queen is Dead, Long Live the Queen

Join Benedict, The Practical Beekeeper for a tutorial to unpack some myths around requeening and learn his five favourite tips for requeening a hive. Benedict is a well-known registered Beekeeper; as The Practical Beekeeper he collects swarms, manages hives, extracts honey, teaches and loves bees. Benedict is the resident Beekeeper at Ceres (Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies) and is approved by the City of Darebin to keep bees in Darebin Parklands and Bundoora Park. Benedict regularly runs school

incursions about bees and beekeeping, he also delivers adult educational courses at Melbourne Polytechnic and CERES in Brunswick as well as at Edendale Community Environment Farm in Eltham.

Corinne Jordan, The Bee Lady Apiaries Selection and Evaluation of a Breeder Queen

Corrine shares her knowledge of the history of honeybee breeds available in Australia and character traits associated with each breed. A description of the four most popular selection criteria for queen breeding (Honey Production, Temperament, Hygiene/Health and Brood Pattern) is followed by simple methods and tools for assessing and comparing colonies including record keeping and scoring.

Corinne’s obsession with bees commenced in South East Queensland 2008 with the founding of The Bee Lady Apiaries. Since 2013 Corinne has been striving to improve Australia’s honey bee stocks by instrumental insemination and continued selection and evaluation. Her key focus is enhancing the productivity, health and vitality of Apis mellifera ligustica commonly known as the Italian or Yellow

Queen Bee whilst preserving the gentle temperament. Corinne is a passionate bee advocate and her presentation will draw from personal experience as a Commercial Honeybee Breeder.

Jessica Millar, Bee Biosecurity Officer, Agriculture Victoria Agriculture Victoria – Honey Bee Biosecurity

Based in Swan Hill, Jessica Millar is working to reduce the risk of disease entering beehives, by promoting 'best practice biosecurity' based on the Biosecurity Manual for Beekeepers, the Biosecurity Code of Practice and the National Bee Biosecurity Program.

SPEAKERS Ben Moore, Ben’s Bees Bee Communities: Looking for the Local in Global

Ben Moore is a globe-trotting bee lover, beekeeper, business owner, and educator. Based in Melbourne and the Yarra Valley, he has ventured far and wide meeting apiarists, environmentalists, agriculturalists, small business people, and bee enthusiasts who share his passion for the heroic pursuit of the bee. From these travels, he has learnt practical skills, accessed specialised knowledge, and made life-long friends and connections. He has also gained an understanding of the value of venturing abroad to connect with localised communities in order to enrich your own; for Ben, seeing how other beekeepers work and live has been a positive and profound experience. Join Ben to hear a personal account of some of his most

inspiring adventures and gain insight into how this international community brings him joy, knowledge, skills and motivation on a daily basis. Ben Moore is an apiarist, environmentalist, father, food-lover and the owner of Ben’s Bees. Exposed to nature and farming from an early age, Ben started Ben’s Bees over ten years ago. Since then, his company has expanded to include beekeeping, honey production, the safe rehoming of bee colonies, wasp removal, international mentoring, media and education. Through these activities, Ben has built a passionate and loyal community of beekeepers from Australia and across the globe. With a focus on ethical and natural beekeeping practices, Ben is committed to educating the community about bees and their vital connection to the environment and our everyday lives.

Dr Kymble Spriggs, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Melbourne Anaphylaxis - Your Body’s Response to Bee Stings – and when is it an allergy?

Dr Kymble Spriggs is a Consultant Physician, Specialist Allergist & Immunologist and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne. Kymble offers an extensive background in the management of allergic & other immunological diseases, and is especially interested in hayfever, and bee venom immunotherapy, as well as the diagnosis & management of food allergy.

Dr Ken Walker, Senior Curator of Entomology at Museum Victoria Australian Native Bees

There are almost 2000 Australian native bee species so my talk will be to introduce their uniqueness and how we broadly separate them. While Ken will talk about a few specific species, his talk will be based on setting the scene to give people an understanding of our native bee fauna. Dr Ken Walker has been the curator of entomology at Museum Victoria now for over 32 years. His research topic is the study of native Australian bees and has described several hundred new species and revised groups – particularly in the Halictinae and within the subgenera of Lasioglossum and

Homalictus. Being a museum curator, Dr Walker’s other passion is making museum specimen information more accessible to the scientific and general public (now called Citizen Science). He has also created several significant website resources: Bioinformatics, Pests and Diseases Image Library (PaDIL) and BowerBird, being Australia’s first social science website dedicated to Citizen Science.

CONFERENCE PARTNERS & FRIENDS

Trade Stalls & Displays

Bec’s Bees

Bee Removals Victoria

Bob’s Beekeeping

The Candlestick Maker

Edmonds Honey

Flow Hive

Habitat Gallery

Hivekeepers

Kelvin Trading Pty Ltd

Nuplas Apiarist Supplies

The Australia Manuka Honey Association

The Funky Bee

Agriculture Victoria

Fair Share Fare

Victorian Recreational Beekeepers Association

(VRBA)

Friends of the Conference

North Eastern Apiarists' Association

Geelong Beekeepers Club Inc

Design Studio Ballarat

Munash Organics

Mork Chocolate

Smalt

Leonie & Vonk

Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio