Bee expert PANEL DISCUSSION

1 pm Tusten Theater
210 Bridge Street

A panel of bee experts discuss beekeeping, gardening and the current problems facing bees and other pollinators. We'll be announcing additional speakers for 2018 and the moderator for this event very soon!

MEET THE SPEAKERS

 Master Beekeeper Frank Mortimer

Certified Master Beekeeper and President of the Northeast New Jersey Beekeepers Association.

Frank Mortimer has been keeping bees for over a decade. As president of the Northeast New Jersey Beekeepers Association—a position he has held since 2011—Frank has: grown his branch’s membership from 37 to over 220; aligned the Northeast NJ Beekeepers with Ramapo College, making it their new home and meeting place; founded the “Honey Cup," an annual honey tasting competition that drew over 500 attendees in 2017; and promoted beekeeping throughout Northeast NJ by delivering over 100 lectures to everyone from school children to gardening clubs and civic organizations. In February 2018, Frank was elected as a Vice President to the New Jersey State Beekeepers Association.   Additionally, he successfully campaigned for his hometown of Ridgewood to become New Jersey's first “Bee City USA.” Frank is currently enrolled in Cornell's Master Beekeeping Program, which he is scheduled to complete in the summer of 2018. His beekeeping articles have appeared in the November 2017 issue of Bee Culture Magazine, and the spring 2018 issue of Bee Culture’s BEEkeeping Magazine. Frank is married, and has three children. He works at Oxford University Press USA, where he is the Director of Marketing for Higher Education, North America; he has worked in college publishing for the past 27 years. 

Master Beekeeper Pat Bono

Founder, New York Bee Wellness.

Pat started beekeeping in 1976 and has volunteered in all aspects of beekeeping over the years. She is the founder and president of NY Bee Wellness, Inc, (NYBeeWellness.org) a grassroots educational non-profit, which has trained over 1500 beekeepers in New York and surrounding states, through intensive train the trainer workshops on honey bee disease. The organization conducts state wide surveys twice a year, and has a youtube channel with lecture and tutorials. Organizer for the Rochester Beekeepers/ Master Beekeeper certification from the University of Montana. An advocate for pure local honey, her small scale apiary, Seaway Trail Honey, has won numerous awards and distinctions, such as being served at President Obama’s 2013 Inaugural Luncheon in Washington DC. Currently on the NYS Apiary Industry Advisory Committee. Pat likes to stay informed and help others. She is also a registered nurse.

Beekeeper and USMC Veteran Kyle Maio

Founder, Brothers In Bees.

Kyle is the "Chief Bee Officer" and founder of Brothers In Bees, a non profit organization that helps U.S. Veterans both learn beekeeping or help maintain their current hives. Brother In Bees strives to provide a reflective and rewarding experience for U.S. Veterans through beekeeping and to help spread awareness of the impact of honey bees on local communities and the world.  

Kyle is a USMC Veteran of the Iraq War and has been studying at Delaware Valley University to get his degree in Sustainable Agriculture. In addition to beekeeping Kyle is also a seriously dedicated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor and practitioner.