LACBA Speaker June 1, 2026 (Via Zoom) - James C. Nieh
Honey bee health: immune priming, queen diapers, and more!
Professor James C. Nieh was born in Taiwan, and grew up in Southern California. He received his B.A. at Harvard in 1991 and his PhD from Cornell University in 1997. He received the prestigious Harvard Junior Fellowship and in 2000, joined the faculty in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of California San Diego where he is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution. He held the Heiligenberg Chair of Neuroethology, was chair of his department, was elected Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, and received the Hambleton Award for his bee research and the Springer Nature Distinguished Editor Award. He is an Associate Dean in the School of Biological Sciences, and is the Chair of the City of San Diego Bee City Committee and the UC San Diego Bee Campus Committee.
Dr. Nieh’s interests focus on bee communication, cognition, and health. He studies many types of social bees, including honey bees, bumble bees, and stingless bees. His lab studies natural and man-made stressors of social bees. A major part of his work focuses on foraging and communication in honey bees and honey bee health. The research on honey bee health focuses on how pesticides alter honey bee behavior and learning, how a common pathogen, Nosema ceranae, infects bees and alters their behavior, how honey bee immunity can be boosted to fight Nosema infection, how the bee gut microbiome may help us find new ways to counter Nosema infection, and how a nutritionally balanced diet can help bees exposed to pesticides.
LACBA Speaker May 4, 2026 (In Person) - Phoebe Piper
Stories for Newbees
Phoebe Piper is a Certified Master Beekeeper and owner of the Los Angeles based beekeeping company, The Hive Tribe Beekeeping. Together with her team, she cares for over 100 hives in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Phoebe came into beekeeping with a background in animal husbandry and instantly fell in love with bees and the impact they have on the environment. She loves sharing her passion with others as a way to foster interest in the small, often overlooked ecosystems in our own backyards.
LACBA Speaker April 6 - Celeste Santarrosa
Overview of LA Vector Control District
Celeste Santarrosa is a public health outreach professional dedicated to protecting community health through education and prevention. She works directly with residents, local organizations, and community partners to reduce mosquito and other vector-borne disease risks through education, prevention programs, and public engagement initiatives. Her work focuses on increasing public awareness, strengthening reporting and response systems, and ensuring communities have the tools they need to reduce health risks at home and in their neighborhoods across Greater Los Angeles.
Topics of Discussion for the meeting:
Understanding mosquito-borne diseases and local risk factors
Overview of District departments and their prevention strategies
Practical steps residents can take to identify and eliminate mosquito breeding sources
How residents can request services or report concerns
Information on Spray operation and how to protect bee water sources
LACBA Speaker March 5 - Dr. Jessica Maccaro
Tropical Stingless Bees of South America and Other Native Bees
Dr. Jessica Maccaro got her PhD in the CIBER (Center for Integrative Bee Research) lab and department of entomology at the University of California, Riverside. Her scientific research has centered around symbiotic relationships between microbes and bees. Specifically she studied the evolution of chalkbrood disease and the microbiome of vulture bees. After taking up insect macro photography she became passionate about combining the arts with science. She just published the second edition of her book "Meeting the Bees Face to Face" with natural history and macro photography of 28 different groups of bees (highlighting their cute faces). Email her at j.joy.maccaro@gmail.com if you are interested in a copy!
Dr. Maccaro's talk will introduce you to the world of non-honey bee bees through macro-photography, scientific research and natural history. She will focus mainly on tropical stingless bees and native bees in Southern California. Her talk will give you a taste of all the major bee families in your area, then narrow in on some very unique bees in South America. She will interweave her research on the importance of the microbial relationships in bee health and the ways microorganisms open up new dietary capabilities for bees.
LACBA Speaker February 2 - Dr. Marta Guarna
From Varroa Treatments to Forage and Queen Health: Project Apis m.–Funded Projects
Project Apis m. (PAm) mission is to drive science that delivers innovation for healthy bees and sustainable bee businesses. By investing in research projects and extension programs, PAm is dedicated to addressing unmet industry needs. This presentation will describe projects focused on Varroa management, forage, and queen health, particularly the effects of temperature on queen fertility and colony performance as well as a novel non-destructive method for assessing queen health. It will also describe other focus areas, including emerging threats, and highlight available resources through Project Apis m. and the Bee Health Collective.
Dr. Marta Guarna is the Research Program Director at Project Apis m (PAm), an organization dedicated to driving and supporting science to deliver innovation for healthy bees and bee businesses.
LACBA Speaker January 5, 2026 - Los Angeles County - Agricultural Commissioner Speaker
California Apiary Registration for 2026
In Los Angeles County, all beekeepers are required to:
• Register their hives annually with the County Agricultural Commissioner / Weights & Measures office by completing the Annual Apiary Registration form. (FAC § 29044)
Speakers from the Agricultural Commissioner / Weights and Measures will be attending in-person to provide information and updates needed to complete your hive registration before the deadline on January 31, 2026. Join us for help finding your city beekeeping ordinances, registering your bee removal services, and navigating the process of apiary registration!
Los Angeles County - Agricultural Commissioner / Weights & Measures
