"The Amazing Dr. Samuel Ramsey & His Talk on Tropilaelaps Mercedesae Mites at ABF2020" by LEASEHONEY

Today I got to see the famous Dr. Samuel Ramsey—the University of Maryland bee scientist who pioneered research that discovered that Varroa mites feed on fat bodies, not hemolymph (blood in invertebrates)—speak about his new research into an emerging threat to apis mellifera at the 2020 American Beekeeping Federation conference in Schaumberg, IL.

And—wow—his talk did not disappoint! Both informative and highly entertaining, I now completely understand why Dr. Ramsey is so popular in beekeeper circles! Jokes! Music! Drama! This scientific presentation had everything including substance.

In this post, I will attempt to recap some of the key points from Dr. Ramsey’s talk on a parasitic mite—tropilaelaps mercedesae—for those who were unable to attend the conference. This is no way diminishes his talk or replaces the recommendation to see him speak for yourself. His 8am presentation kept everyone awake, engaged, and laughing throughout. He provided a ton of information and took a ton of questions from the audience and answered each one thoroughly. If you ever get the chance, I suggest you see him speak.

Dr. Ramsey is raising funds to continue his research on this GoFundMe site. Please help fund his important research. Dr. Ramsey has also co-written a research paper with his Thai research partner Dr. Chantawannakul, available here.