 | Dr. Krispn Given is an internationally recognized authority in the field of instrumental insemination and honey bee breeding. For three decades, he has conducted advanced research to improve honey bee health, directing Purdue University's honey bee breeding program and managing up to 300 colonies. He spearheaded the development of the 'Indiana Mite-biter' strain, demonstrating that selective breeding can successfully enhance behavioral resistance to the Varroa mite. An educator and author, he teaches advanced courses in queen rearing and instrumental insemination that attract students and researchers worldwide. His research has yielded numerous scientific publications and led to the co-founding of Apis Engineering, where he co-designs innovative, American-made instrumental insemination devices used in laboratories globally. He is the recipient of the prestigious 2023 international Roger A. Morse Outstanding Teaching/Extension/Regulatory Award and is a past president of the Heartland Honey Bee Breeders Cooperative. Apis Enginnering Beehive - Purdue University |
 | Herman Van Reekum is a lifelong Calgarian, entrepreneur, and commercial beekeeper. He is the Founder and CEO of Beekeeping Innovations Ltd., a Calgary agtech company behind the Bee Cube®, an insulated hive system, and the Be the Bee™ software platform. He has spoken on behalf of Alberta's beekeepers at federal and provincial agricultural policy roundtables. Before turning to agriculture, Herman built and led businesses in global immigration, visa services, and land development. He founded VRV Global and grew it into Canada's largest corporate immigration firm before its acquisition by CIBT Visas in 2014. Earlier in his career he served as an immigration officer and supervisor with the Government of Canada and taught political science for ten years at the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University. He holds a BA and MA in Political Science from the University of Calgary and served as Chair of the Board of the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society. Herman learned beekeeping from his mother and has kept bees since 2015, operating apiaries southwest of Calgary. He writes Bee Spaced, a Substack newsletter on the science, history, and craft of beekeeping, and lives in the Millarville area. Bee Spaced: The Global Beekeeping Digest Bee Cube® |
 | Dr. Courtney MacInnis is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Lethbridge where she studies the effects of Lotmaria passim on various aspects of honey bee health. Courtney earned her MSc and PhD degrees in Ecology at the University of Alberta in collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada under the supervision of Dr. Steve Pernal. As a PhD student she investigated the effects of Vairimorpha (Nosema) ceranae and L. passim on honey bee behaviour and physiology. In her spare time Courtney enjoys cross-country skiing, curling, ice fishing (lots of winter activities!), gardening, and winning games of cribbage. |
 | Lynae Ovinge operates Buzzworthy Solutions, providing contract and consulting services to the beekeeping and bee research community. She grew up on a farm in southern Alberta and learned beekeeping at Poelman Apiaries, where her interest in honey bee health began. Lynae holds a Master of Science from the University of Alberta, where she studied Varroa mite management. She has spent many years working in honey bee health and canola pollination research with Dr. Shelley Hoover in Lethbridge. Her experience also includes working as an apiary inspector, serving as temporary Provincial Apiculturist, and lead of Alberta’s Tech Transfer Program. Through Buzzworthy Solutions, Lynae continues to work at the intersection of research and practical beekeeping, with a particular focus on providing useful, evidence-based information to beekeepers. Outside of beekeeping, Lynae is married to Tanner Ovinge and is a proud mom to Quinn (9) and Beau (5). |