September Meeting - Commerce Beekeepers Club

Name: September Meeting - Commerce Beekeepers Club
Start: 2025-09-04T18:00:00-04:00
Location: Commerce Public Library

Schedule

Thu, 04 Sep, 2025 at 06:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Commerce Public Library | Commerce, GA

We are thrilled to have Dr. Jennifer Berry as our guest speaker. She will be talking about why pollinator conservation is important. Her presentations are always fascinating and fun!
From the UGA Bee Program webpage:
For over 25 years, Jennifer Berry has been the Apicultural Research Professional and Lab Manager for the University of Georgia Honey Bee Program. Her research objectives have focused on queen breeding, improving honey bee health, the sub-lethal effects of pesticides on beneficial insects, and IPM techniques for varroa and small hive beetle control, weeds for bees, and what best to plant in non-traditional horticultural landscapes to enhance pollinator populations and diversity. Recently, she graduated with her PhD, becoming an Adjunct Professor, and has been teaching the UGA Entomology course “Bees, Beekeeping and Pollinator Conservation”.
Over the years, Jennifer has undertaken several ambitious campaigns to educate people from all walks of life. She’s volunteered in Central and South America to teach women and young teens the art of beekeeping to enhance their ability for better employment. Jennifer has also been instrumental in launching the Georgia Beekeeping Prison Program. Since its inception, numerous prisons have been added to the fold and are now teaching beekeeping behind bars. Along with learning how to keep bees, inmates are also certified through the University of Georgia Master Beekeeper Program. To date over 200 inmates have become certified beekeepers with several advancing to Journeyman and Master Beekeeper levels. She is also dutifully educating the public about the importance of pollinators and other beneficial insects and how to encourage their populations by planting native habitat.
Jennifer is an occasional columnist for Bee Culture magazine and for other publications across the pond. She travels extensively to speak to local, state, national and international students, groups and beekeeping associations.