You asked! We listened! This month we will be featuring an "Ask a Beekeeper" panel with Dr. Larry Audet, Heath Wind, and Dr. Buddy Marterre. Combined, our expert panel have been beekeeping for over 70 years! They can relate to the difficulties we face, sometimes through personal experience, and other times through helping other beekeepers. Expect a wide range of practical advice, opinions, and specifics on the topics and questions you need to know about from local beekeepers who have seen it all. Read the bios of our panel below and get your beekeeping questions ready!
This month we are meeting in person!! Please click or copy & paste the link to sign up for what you would like to bring to the Potluck. Thank you! https://www.PerfectPotluck.com/IMYO1352
Dr. Buddy Marterre is a Past President of the Forsyth County Beekeepers Association. He is a Past Director, 2nd Vice President & Membership Secretary of the North Carolina Beekeepers Association(NCSBA). He has also served as Chairperson of the NCSBA Long-Term Planning Committee, Constitution & By-Laws Committee, & Chairperson of the NCSBA Association Management Software Committee. Dr. Marterre is the lead author & instigator of Certified Naturally Grown’s Natural Beekeeping Standards. He has taught bee school to over 1,000 students in his county since developing the FCBA curriculum as the FCBA Bee School Chairman since 2004. He has also published in Bee Culture & American Bee Journal & is both an NCSBA Master Beekeeper & an EAS Master Beekeeper. Dr. Marterre has kept bees since 2003; has had as many as 16 colonies, but now only has 3 - 4, rearing 4 - 8 queens per year for his own operation’s sustenance & production of a few super-natural nucs. In addition to his MD, he holds a Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University. He has two wonderful dogs, keeps 6 semi-aquatic turtles, enjoys woodworking, nature photography, bicycling, sailing, & practicing and teaching surgical palliative care when he's not with his bees. Keep an eye out for Dr Buddy’s Backyard Bee School, an on-line video-based education program for those interested in all-natural, sustainable, and fun beekeeping!
Dr. Larry Audet caught his first swarm in the southern Oregon mountains in 1981 and has kept bees since that time. Larry has kept bees in Oregon, Michigan, California, and North Carolina. He naturally wants to learn from and mentor others. He has worked in education for most of his adult life as a: teacher, school administrator, researcher, and policy developer for the Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates. His research interests include creativity and leadership. Larry builds much of his own equipment in his woodshop. He and his wife recently moved from Dubai to North Carolina in 2019. One of his favorite activities is attending meetings with our club members and he can’t wait until the situation allows for us to begin meeting and sharing dinners again.
Heath Wind is a second-generation hobbyist beekeeper. Raised in Upstate New York, Heath moved to North Carolina in the 80's. He joined the FCBA in 2011 after attending bee school and has been an active member since then. Heath earned his certification as a Journeyman Beekeeper from the NCSBA and has passed the Master exam although he still has to complete his service hours. Heath moves colonies to the mountains each year for the sourwood flow. He winters about twelve colonies with a near 100% survival rate. Heath attributes his high winter survival to three basic things: Young, well-mated queens in summer, low mite levels in August, adequate honey stores
