Gordon Goeking has been a beekeeper since 2008.  He is a journeyman beekeeper and currently has 11 beehives in 3 locations within Wake County.  He has learned the importance of being diligent in the management of our esteemed honey bee and values greatly the requirement to have a good honey bee management plan along with data in place to improve the potential for good outcomes in the practice of managing honey bees.  He is currently the Secretary of the WCBA.

The small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) is a major pest that can cause honey bee colonies to decline and possibly perish. Destruction can be extensive. Jennifer will discuss SHB identification, basic biology, life cycle, and how this pest affects a hive of bees.  She will discuss some of the traps on the market and several best practices to help keep the problems to a minimum. Now is the time to understand this pest, monitor for its presence and take action as needed.

Jennifer Keller is the apiculture technician at NCSU working with Dr. David Tarpy.  Her duties include maintaining all the hives at NCSU, helping students with their various research projects, and engaging in extension talks to beekeepers across the state.