Head To Morton Arboretum For Honey Bee Weekend Sept. 7-8
By Chuck Sudo in Food on Aug 28, 2013 6:20PM
Experts claim the global honeybee population is disappearing at such a clip it threatens the food population. One-third of the honeybee colonies disappeared in the U.S. last winter and a study released last month by the USDA and University of Maryland found honeybees exposed to low levels of pesticides from crop pollinations make them more susceptible to the parasite Nosema ceranae, a contributing factor to the declining honeybee population.
Morton Arboretum beekeeper Greg Fischer says “every third bite we eat depends on pollination by honeybees.” Nearly 100 key crops rely on honeybees including apples, almonds, raspberries and blueberries, and honeybee production contributes more than $15 billion to crop production in the U.S.
Learn this and more about honeybees Sept. 7 and 8 at Morton Arboretum’s Honeybee weekend. Shop for locally produced honey including the Arboretum’s popular version. Buy, honey- and bee-themed products including honey beer and mead, honey breads and jams, candles, lotions and beekeeper kits. Visit an observation beehive and learn how to identify various pollinators. Throughout the Expo, the Arboretum will be offering drop-in lectures provided by the Cook-DuPage Beekeepers Association.
The expo features a lunch and lecture with nationally-known entomologist and author May Berenbaum of the University of Illinois, who will discuss the health of our honeybee populations and their effects on the ecosystem Sept. 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The cost is $22 for members and $30 for nonmembers. Register here or by calling 630-719-2468. Berenbaum will sign her books at 2 p.m.at the Honey Bee Weekend booths in Arbor Court.