Betterbee was thrilled to send a team down to this year's Eastern Apicultural Society meeting in Maryland. We love seeing all of our friends, and getting to make new ones too. The weeklong event includes both the EAS Short Course and the main Conference meeting, both of which are jam-packed with educational talks and events.
Here are some conference highlights that we wanted to share with those of you who couldn't make it:
We rolled down to the Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, MD on Sunday, set up our booth full of interesting products and educational materials, and prepared to pass out the big pile of pre-boxed orders that we drove down.
The staff and other guests were very tolerant of the crowd of bees and beekeepers that had invaded.
Our Director of Research and Education, David Peck, assumed the mantle of Academic Advisor to the EAS Master Beekeeper program. Partnering with the other Master Beekeepers who write and administer the exams, he's excited to create challenging exams that will help identify those beekeepers who are ready to be recognized as "Master Beekeepers" by their peers.
As part of his new role, David shadowed the Master Beekeeper field exams to see how candidates performed with real hives in the apiary. Here he is sporting our brand new ultralight veil that packs into its own built-in travel pouch. The jacket, launched at EAS, was a smash hit and many new compact veils are now in the purses and glove compartments of beekeepers across the country.
After 8 years in the role, the outgoing Academic Advisor University of Delaware professor, Debbie Delaney passed the torch to Dr. Peck over a toast. (David enjoyed a can from a local meadery, Charm City Meadworks.)
That wasn't the only local delicacy on offer. Our event and education coordinator Elizabeth enjoyed succotash for the first time in her life. And the dessert at one of the evening banquets was the Baltimore classic Berger cookie! A native Baltimoron, Dr. Peck enjoyed a nostalgic cookie or four.
The conference center and hotel grounds were crawling, literally, with invasive spotted lanternflies. A good entomologist never misses an opportunity to collect and pin a few teaching specimens. These will help us teach beekeepers about the consequences of these Asian planthoppers invading the mid-Atlantic US (with many more states slated to "welcome" them in the coming years).
EAS 2025 will be hosted by the beekeepers of New Jersey. Block out early August of next year to join us and make sure to register as soon as the official dates and location are announced!
