Wazzup Aug. 17-20? WAS!

WAS is not just the first and third person singular past indicative of be.

It's the Western Apicultural Society, an organization dedicated to the science and art of  rearing honey bees.

You'll find scores of commericial beekeepers at the 31st annual WAS Conference, scheduled Aug. 17-20 in Healdsburg, Sonoma County. You'll also find native pollinator specialists, university researchers, vendors, and folks just concerned about the declining bee population and what they can do about it.

UC Cooperative Extension Apiculturist Eric Mussen, who's been with the UC Davis Department of Entomology since 1976, co-founded WAS in 1978 with professor Norman Gary  (now retired) whose research  focused on the biology and behavior of honey bees, and interaction of honey bees with environment.

Last year WAS members trekked to Victoria, B.C., for their annual meeting. This year, it's right in the heart and soul of California Wine Country.

Where else but at a bee conference in Wine Country can you enjoy honey and wine tasting at the same time? 

Conference topics include pathogens found associated with bees; breeding, diagnostics and insecticide tolerance; introduction to native bees, native bees in crop production in Eastern states; native bees in crop production in Western states; effects of honey on human physiology, colony natural history, honey and exercise physiology, and beekeeping tips.

Membership in WAS is open to all, Mussen says (dues range from $7.50 to $10 a year).  Although worldwide membership is indeed encouraged, the organization was founded  to serve the educational needs of beekeepers from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming; the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon; and the states of northern Mexico.

Healdsburg is definitely the place to bee Aug. 17-20.