Neal Williams

The event, themed "The Bounty of Pollination, More Than Just Honey," will take place from 1 to 5:30 p.m. in the RMI's Silverado Vineyards Sensory Theatre, UC Davis. Keynote speakers are winning cinematographer, director and producer Louie Schwartzberg whose film “The Beauty of Pollination” has resulted in more than 23 million views on YouTube; and pollination ecologist Neal Williams, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology, who will discuss “Integrated Pollination Strategies: Managed and Wild Bees for a Sustainable Future."

Others speaking will include:

Amina Harris, executive director of the RMI Honey and Pollination Center and owner of Z Specialty Food, Woodland, who will cover “Honey Tastings Across America” 

--Victoria Wojcik, associate program manager of the San Francisco-based Pollinator Partnership, “The World of Pollinators” 

--Julie Loke, teaching kitchen educator at Davis Co-Op, “Varietal Honeys—Blending the Flavors in the Kitchen” 

Another attraction is the second annual "Best Honey" competition. Beekeepers can enter the competition by bringing a jar of honey (with business card and summary of the honey) to the RMI office on Wednesday, Oct. 24. There's no charge to enter. Those attending the conference will taste and judge the honey. 

RMI executive director Clare Hasler-Lewis said the newly established Honey and Pollination,  was approved earlier this year by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.  The vision is to “make UC Davis the nation’s leading authority on honey, honey bees and pollination by combining the resources and expertise of RMI and the Department of Entomology’s Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility.”

The center’s mission is “to showcase the importance of honey and pollination to the well-being of the citizens of California. The center will spearhead and nucleate efforts to gain support and assembly teams for research, education and outreach programs for various stakeholder groups including the beekeeping industry, agricultural interests who depend on bee pollination, backyard beekeepers and the food industry."

The goals:

    • Expand research and education concerning nutrition, health, quality and appreciation of honey

    • Develop useful information for California’s agricultural bounty that depends on insect pollination

    • Help the honey industry establish labeling guidelines to guarantee pure and unadulterated varietal honey

    • Coordinate a multidisciplinary team of experts in honey production, pollination and bee health

    • Promote the use of locally procured honey in the home, food industry and restaurants.

For more information on the debut event and to register online see the RMI website  The contact person is Kim Bannister at kbannister@ucdavis.edu.