WED: Bee My Honey - Pollinator Power Party 2022. Online registration by Cvent

How many words are there to describe the taste of honey? Was your answer “one – sweet!” or was your answer 99? That’s right, there are 99 words to describe the taste of honey! And of course those 99 descriptions are all related to the type of flowering plants the bees visit while making the honey.

Honeybees native to Europe are used in the US as pollinators for many of the crops we eat. They have different lifestyles and different needs than the wild bees that are native to the United States.

We invite you to share pictures of your honey bees, or your honey recipes using #PowerInPollinators

Amina Harris, Ph.D., Director of the Honey and Pollination Center at University of California, Davis

Dr. Harris is the founding director of the Honey and Pollination Center at UC Davis. She has been actively involved in the world of varietal honey for the past forty years. A veritable trailblazer in the field, along with her husband, Ishai Zeldner, their company Moon Shine Trading was one of the first to pack and promote U.S. varietal honeys winning acclaim and awards from the Specialty Food Association and the National Honey Board. Z Specialty Food, LLC, still a family business with son Josh Zeldner at the helm, offers over 30 varietal honeys from across the United States.

Joining the Robert Mondavi Institute in late 2012, Amina brought her enthusiasm for honey to UC Davis. The Center is an active participant in the California Honey Festival; holds mead programs attracting participants worldwide; presents honey sensory research and education; and published the internationally acclaimed UC Davis Honey Aroma and Flavor Wheel. Working with the Department of Entomology and Nematology, she helped create the Annual Bee Symposium and the California Master Beekeeper Program. She has presented at beekeeping programs throughout the US and Canada, introducing participants to the world of pure, unadulterated varietal honeys.

Elina Lastro Niño, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension – Apiculture at University of California, Davis

Dr. Elina Lastro Niño provides professional support and education to California's beekeepers, growers, pesticide applicators, and other stakeholder groups. She researches many aspects of honeybees, including queen mating and reproductive processes, pesticides to treat varroa mites, and how orchard management practices can support honeybee health. She teaches beekeeping workshops throughout the state, established the California Master Beekeepers program, and led the development of an apiculture course for veterinarians.

Dr. Niño supports the Pollinator Education Program at the Honey Bee Haven Garden to provide community outreach and education for ensure that future researchers, agriculture leaders, innovators, and voters understand the importance of honeybees and other pollinators to our agricultural systems.