The Toe Cane Beekeepers Association will welcome David T. Peck, Ph.D., as the guest Speaker for their July 11 meeting. An expert on the Varroa Destructor mites, Dr. Peck’s presentation will focus on year-round management of mites, including the latest news on treatment, and will be followed by a Q&A session.

The meeting will be held at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 15 Hemlock Avenue, Spruce Pine, beginning at 6:30 p.m., and is open to the public. Please note that there will not be a meeting on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

Dr. Peck is the director of research and education at Betterbee in Greenwich, NY, and served as a teaching postdoctoral fellow in Cornell’s Department of Entomology. His doctoral thesis research focused on the transmission of mites between bee colonies, as well as the mite-resistance traits of the untreated honey bees living in Cornell’s Arnot Forest.

After earning his degree, he has continued to research varroa/bee interactions, including fieldwork in Newfoundland, Canada (where varroa still have not arrived) and Anosy Madagascar (where varroa arrived only in 2010 or 2011). He is still affiliated with Cornell through the Honey Bee Health program in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Peck is also a headline speaker at the North Carolina State Beekeepers 2023 Summer Meeting which will be held in Flat Rock July 13 – 15.