By Jeff Devine, Dale County Chronicle
Are you interested in learning more about apiculture—or the process and science of beekeeping? Well, here is your chance! The Alabama Cooperative Extension System will host a free online beekeeping seminar on Tuesday, May 26, at 6:30 p.m. CT as part of its monthly virtual beekeeping program.
The seminar serves as an online alternative to traditional beekeeping club meetings and is held on the last Tuesday of each month. Organizers say the program allows participants to join from home while learning from foremost ts in the field of beekeeping and honey bee research.
This month’s featured speaker will be Dr. Alexander McMenamin of the USDA Agricultural Research Service, who will present “Overview of honey bee viruses and research efforts to combat them.”
The presentation will focus on common viruses affecting honey bees and current scientific efforts aimed at reducing their impact on bee colonies. Honey bees play a critical role in pollination and agriculture, making bee health an important topic for both commercial and hobbyist beekeepers.
The program is free and open to the public.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System, a partnership between Auburn University and Alabama A&M University, stated that it is an equal opportunity educator, employer, and provider.
Dr. McMenamin’s research focuses on improving honey bee health and reducing colony losses caused by disease. His work includes studying sustainable algae-based pollen substitutes and how they affect bee health, colony performance, and resistance to viral infections. He is also involved in developing high-throughput technologies designed to speed the discovery of new therapeutics aimed at protecting honey bee colonies from disease.
Additionally, Dr. McMenamin continues to investigate how honey bees defend themselves against viruses at the molecular level, combining traditional virology with advanced genomic and “omics” techniques to better understand honey bee antiviral immunity.
Those needing reasonable accommodations or free language access services are encouraged to contact Allyson Shabel by May 5, 2026, at (256) 612-6766 or by email at [email protected]. To register for this free seminar, visit the link below:
