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Iowa Honey Producers Association |
The Buzz Newsletter April 2007 |
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Featured Beekeeper of the Month This month our featured beekeeper is Dr. Edwin Geels who is a chemistry professor at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. He and his wife, Helena, live in Sioux Center. Dr. Geels say he took a beekeeping class 6 years ago and started beekeeping with 1 hive. Now he has 20 colonies of small cell (4.9mm) bees. He markets his honey in quarts and bears and sells comb honey. Candle making is Helena’s interest so that may be an added product. Working with small cell bees and watching the colonies thrive with no chemical applications is his challenge. He enjoys working outdoors, extracting, bottling, and selling honey as well as spending time educating others about the benefits of bees and bee products.
Dr. Geels started a research project on 4.9mm small cell beekeeping in the spring of 2006. He was joined by 2 undergraduate students and supported by a National Science Foundation grant. Dr. Geels has applied for a renewal of this grant for 2007 and hopes to continue the project for 5 years. So far the hives are thriving with extremely low mite populations. He and his students will be presenting their preliminary results to the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society, Ag and Food Division, in Chicago and later in April to the National Conference of Undergraduate Research in San Rafael, CA. Many of you may remember Dr. Geels spoke at the Iowa Honey Producers Assoc. meeting in Marshalltown in November 2006, where he explained his 4.9mm small cell research at Dordt College. He writes, “it was very well received and I thank them for a warm reception and a good experience.” There are no local beekeeping groups in the Sioux Center area, but Dr. Geels knows several local beekeepers.
Thanks, Dr., for your hard work and research to make a difference in beekeeping. Keep us posted about your results. You can reach Dr. Geels at Geels@Dordt.edu or calling his office at 712-722-6284. Submitted by Ron Wehr
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