As the newest member of the Bee Informed Partnership and Midwest Tech Team, I am learning quickly the ins and outs of the BIP team, sampling techniques, lab diagnostics, and the best part, meeting lots of beekeepers and asking questions. I have been lucky enough to work 4 races (Italian, A. ligustica; Carniolan, A. carnica; Russian, A. caucasica; and African, A. scutellata respectively) of honey bees in 4 different countries (United States, Senegal, The Gambia, and Grenada, respectively) over the past 6 years. Seeing how commercial beekeepers work at a much larger scale is fascinating to me and from what I have seen so far,…
Author: Megan Wannarka
As of May I am working with Marla Spivak and Katie Lee at the University of Minnesota Midwest Tech Team to assist commercial beekeepers with monitoring colony health through sampling and testing. Previous to working with Bee Informed Partnership I served with Peace Corps Response on the island of Grenada in the Eastern Caribbean as a Beekeeping trainer, working with local beekeepers to gather best practices, disseminate information and work one on one in their apiaries. I graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2006 with a B.S. in Design. Curiosity about bees and an interest in Peace
Corps allowed me to apprentice and then work with a well-known local beekeeper in Minnesota. I gained technical honey and beekeeping knowledge and enjoyed working with Italian, Carneolian and Russian bees. While serving in Senegal, West Africa with Peace Corps as a Sustainable Agriculture Agent I was able to work with African bees as well. I am looking forward to the understanding challenges that commercial beekeepers and industry face and excited about the collaboration of the highly cross functional teams.