2024 Bee Fun Day

We are so excited to announce that we have not one but TWO Keynote Speakers!  

Dr Kaira Wagoner - Co-inventor of the UBeeOTM Assay (Unhealthy Brood Odor (UBO)), a pheromone-based tool for measuring honey bee colony mite & disease resistance.  UBeeOTM tests a colony’s ability to detect and remove unhealthy brood from the hive, a heritable trait known as hygienic behavior. Research indicates that colonies with higher UBeeOTM scores have fewer mites, higher survival, and lower virus, Nosema, and chalkbrood loads. In 2023, Dr. Wagoner was recognized in Copenhagen, Denmark as a finalist for the BII & AAAS Science Prize for Innovation for her work with UBeeOTM. Dr. Wagoner currently serves as CEO of Optera, a honey bee health company based in Greensboro, North Carolina, which manufactures UBeeOTM. She also works with pollinators in her role as a Research Scientist at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).

Dr Declan Schroeder - Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine (VPM) from the University of Minnesota.  He has over 20 years of research experience as a molecular biologist in the areas of virology, biodiversity, pathology, and genomics – in particular, the use of genomic tools to study key biological processes. His research focuses on a diverse array of host-virus systems, however, more recently he has been focusing on a new virus resistance mechanism in honey bees.

We will also hear from:

Warren Nelson

Dr Judy Wu-Smart

Becky Walruff

Matt Lance

Brad Price

Brian Nilson

Luke Norris

Mike Wrobel

Jack Nelson

Dustin Scholl

UNL Bee Lab Students

This years vendors!

Lance Honey Farms

Becky's Bees

Unl Students

Valhalla Bee Farm

Made With Love Cakery

Bee sure to sign up and come join us for a fun day of learning and comradery!