Riverside Conservancy

Local beekeeper Donna Athearn will be the guest speaker for Riverside Conservancy’s Lagoon Lecture series on Thursday, May 21.

The presentation, “Commercial Beekeeping and Their Sweet Life,” will be held at 1 p.m., at Riverside Conservancy, located at 1413 South Riverside Drive, Edgewater.

Athearn will discuss the many types of bees that commercial farms must use to grow fruits and vegetables and the role that bees play as pollinators for these crops.

Both Athearn and her late husband, master beekeeper Marlin Athearn, have each served as president and vice president of the Beekeepers of Volusia County. They have operated 26 beehive colonies in New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater for the last 15 years.

Donna Athearn teaches about honey bee biology, how bees make honey and what they need from humans to survive on this continent in educational programs for schools, clubs and organizations. She also owns a catering company that uses many honey and wax products.

Admission to the presentation is free and open to the public.

Stetson University students are studying the living shoreline at Riverside Conservancy Center today!