AUBURN — The Androscoggin Beekeepers Club will host Maine’s new Apiarist, Jennifer Lund, at its monthly meeting.

The club will meet Wednesday, Feb. 8, in the vestry of the West West Auburn Congregational Church, 811 West Auburn Road. The business meeting will be conducted from 6:30 to 7 p.m., and Lund will present after the meeting. The presentation is open to the public.

Lund will speak to the group on how Maine’s Apiary program helps prevent the introduction and spread of regulated honey bee diseases, parasites and undesirable genetic material in resident and migratory honey bee colonies. 

Lund has a Master’s degree in Entomology from the University of Maine and has almost 20 years of entomological experience. Before becoming the State Apiarist, Lund was a research technician in the entomology department at the University of Maine.

Some of the honeybee projects she has worked on over the years include a national colony collapse disorder study, honeybee colony health comparisons of top bar and Langstrom hives, integrated Varroa mite control effectiveness, the role of honeybees as vectors of blueberry disease, sub-lethal effects on colonies to low level pesticide exposure and health of migratory hives arriving in Maine for blueberry pollination. Lund is passionate about honeybee health and helping beekeepers succeed.

Aside from managing the honeybee inspection program and helping Maine beekeepers protect their hives, Lund also has several of her own hives that she maintains on her farm in Argyle Township.