Dr. Medhat Nasr
Research Scientist- Research Lead of Bee Tach Adaptation Program- (TAP) Saskatchewan, Canada.
Dr. Medhat Nasr is a highly regarded apiculturist, educator and regulator with over 50 years of experience in both the public and the private sector. In Alberta, he served as Alberta Provincial Apiculturist from 2002-2019. During this period, he extended the regulatory-program to include applied bee research and extension activities.
In 1994 he introduced and established the first “Bee Tech-Transfer program” in Ontario.
He served as Ontario Beekeepers Tech_Transfer program lead from 1994-2000. In fact, this
program has been established and continues to provide services to beekeepers in 10 Provinces in Canada. A similar program was established in 5 regions in the USA, but they were (suspended in 2023.
Dr. Nasr's expertise encompasses a wide diverse range of skills including bee pest management, bee breeding, and bee technology development, adoption and transfer.
Dr. Nasr graduated from Cairo University, Giza, Egypt with B. Sc. and M. Sc. degrees in
Entomology. He earned a Ph. D. degree in Entomology from University of California, Davis,
USA.
Dr. Rob Currie
Senior Scholar, Department of Entomology - University of Manitoba
Rob Currie is a Professor and former Department Head in the Department of Entomology at the University of Manitoba. He teaches a wide range of courses in the Diploma, Degree and Graduate programs within the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. These courses have included, an online and in-person course on beekeeping, Pollination Biology, Pest Management and Farm Insects, Physiological Ecology of Insects, World of Bugs, Advanced Entomology and Advanced Pollination Biology.
His research interests focus on issues related to the biology and management of bees (honey bees, leafcutting bees and native pollinators) and the crops that they pollinate. A major focus of his research relates to how parasites, disease and other stressors such as nutrition interact to bee health and winter survival of honey bees.
Jose Uribe
California Beekeeper
Jose Uribe is a leader in beekeeping and queen breeding, with over 14 years of extensive experience in migratory commercial beekeeping, managing 3500 hives under his former employer and traveling to the Midwest annually for the honey crop. Now owner and founder of Uribe Honey Bees, he places sustainability at the center of his business, growing to 800 hives plus 4000 queen mating nucs within four short years.
In 2020, he launched The California Beekeeper on YouTube. Garnering nearly 17 million views and a growing tribe of 27k subscribers, he aims to make critical information widely available through this accessible platform while building an engaged community of passionate people devoted to protecting nature’s most vital pollinators: honeybees.
Jose's values of integrity, faith, family, and hard work are the backbone of Uribe Honey Bees. He takes great pride in mentoring veterans and youth in the beekeeping industry. He is also committed to advocating for change in agriculture policies and regulations through the farm bill, ensuring the livelihoods of farmers and the food we consume.
Based in the heart of Northern California, Uribe Honey Bees offers exceptional commercial almond pollination, brokering services, and high-quality mated queens. Jose focuses on nurturing healthy colonies through advanced genetics, ethical practices, and continuous learning from research initiatives. His vision is to make a lasting impact by ensuring the success of our customers through strong communication, unwavering support, and honeybee education. Let’s protect and nurture these remarkable creatures for generations to come!
Dr. Elizabeth Elle
Professor, Community and Evolutionary Ecology
Simon Fraser University
Elizabeth Elle is a Professor and former Chair and Associate Chair in the Department of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Elizabeth and her students have been studying pollinators and pollination in farms, natural areas, habitat restorations, and gardens of BC for almost 25 years. After a dozen years in administration, including a 5-year term as the inaugural Vice-Provost for Learning and Teaching, Elizabeth is now focused on translating the science of pollinator conservation to support the public and land managers in pollinator-friendly gardening and restoration practices.
Dr. Leonard Foster
Professor - Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia
Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Dr. Foster comes from a family of beekeepers and got his introduction to academic bee research at Simon Fraser University while doing his Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry – at SFU he worked with Drs. Winston and Slessor on honey bee pheromones, particularly the components of queen mandibular pheromone. He then did a Ph.D in Toronto a post-doctoral studies in Denmark before starting his current position in 2005. The first independent operating grant that Dr. Foster secured was to study how bee pathogens were able to manipulate the protein machinery within bee cells. Since that time he has led three very large-scale projects that have investigated some of the molecular mechanisms behind disease resistance in bees. This effort has recently moved into trying to apply this knowledge by using the information they have learned to guide selective breeding for hygienic behavior in honey bees. He isvery active in extension and frequently engages the public on various aspects of honey bee biology. He currently lives in Richmond and keeps bees himself.
Dr. Steve Pernal
Officer-in-Charge, Beaverlodge Research Farm
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada / Government of Canada
Dr. Pernal received his Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Manitoba and was a postdoctoral fellow at Simon Fraser University. Since 2001, he has been employed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as a Research Scientist in Beaverlodge, Albertawhere he leads Canada’s federal apiculture research program and also serves as Officer-in-Charge. His work has been diverse, and has included the detection, control and management strategies for AFB, chalkbrood, Nosema ceranae, as well as emerging parasites of honey bees. Steve has also been an integral member of four successive Genome Canada projects evaluating markers for resistance to bee diseases and Varroadestructor, as well as those examining threats to bee health. He formerly served as President of the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists and is a contributing member to international bodies focused on honey bee health. In 2019, he served as the Scientific Program Chair for Apimondia 2019 in Montreal, Canada and in 2022 received the Hambleton award from the Eastern Apicultural Society for excellence in apicultural research.
James & Max Macdonald
Armstrong Apiaries - Armstrong BC
Doug Gordon
North Okanagan Honey Farm
Armstrong BC
Doug runs a bee loving, bee breeding honey farm nestled in the heart of the North Okanagan Valley. They sell nuclei and pollinate crops in the spring as well as Okanagan wildflower and monofloral honeys. Doug is a member of the BC Bee Breeders Association and is a sought after educator. He is also a former Provincial Apiary Inspector in the North Okanagan.
Julia Common
Julia has BSc and MSc degrees in Agriculture, is a Bee Master and BCHPA Certified Instructor and a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists. Julia has been involved in beekeeping since her university days. What started as a summer job became first a hobby and later a career. From 2012 through to 2019 she acted as Chief Beekeeper for the Vancouver-based society Hives for Humanity, which she co-founded along with her daughter Sarah Common. Urban beekeeping has led her to several epiphanies concerning the health and welfare of both bees and humans. Pollination work has led her to focus on how to better the conditions under which we expect our bees to live and work. Julia is passionate about bees and teaching and she has participated in a number of research projects over the past decade.
Since her retirement from Hives for Humanity in 2019, Julia has built Bees Actually to include nuc and honey sales, both green house and field pollination, consulting , presenting and teaching. Julia is a member of several local honeybee and native bee clubs in the Fraser Valley and of the British Columbia Honey Producers Society. As a member of the Western Apicultural Society, she welcomes the opportunity to discover more ways in which both sides of the 49th parallel can support and collaborate with one another to face the challenges of the future for our bees and our profession.
Dr. Julia Morfin
BC Tech Transfer Lead
Dr. Nuria Morfin, is the Tech Transfer Program Lead in British Columbia. She has been working with honey bees for fifteen years as an extensionist, beekeeper, and researcher. Nuria got her PhD from the University of Guelph – Honey Bee Research Centre, where she later worked as a researcher studying the impact of stressors on health and behaviour, analyzing the mechanisms behind behavioural immunity, and studying the lipidome and metabolome profile of bees. Nuria also worked as a Bee Inspector for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Throughout her career, she has been actively contributing to apicultural research and the beekeeping industry.
