11 Apr Spring Field Day – Aldergrove
What to Expect at our Field Day
Ramp up your beekeeping skills this spring when our experts will speak on…
• Spring management & swarm control
• How to increase colony numbers and raising your own queens
• How to control parasites and diseases, including new varroa treatments
• Updates on the threat of tropilaelaps mites
• Hands-on hive inspections and demonstrations
Are you new to beekeeping?
If you are a “newbee” just starting to keep bees, this event will offer some basic
and foundational educational sessions and will encourage you on your journey!
Speakers
Dr. Muhammad Fahim Raza
BC Tech Transfer – Lead Technician
Dr. Muhammad Fahim Raza began his career in apiculture with an MSc in Agricultural Entomology from the University of Sargodha, Pakistan, where he investigated Varroa mites, one of the most significant threats to managed honey bee colonies. He subsequently pursued a PhD in Agricultural Entomology at Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, China, supported by a Chinese Government Scholarship, where his research focused on insect microbiology, particularly the role of gut symbionts in stress resistance mechanism of Oriental fruit fly. In 2021, he joined the honey bee health laboratory at the Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Saskatchewan, as a postdoctoral fellow, where over three years, he conducted extensive research mainly on bacterial brood diseases diagnosis, Varroa mites, and viral pathogens affecting honey bee colonies, gaining valuable insight into North American beekeeping systems and applied bee health management. In 2025, Dr. Fahim joined the BC Technology Transfer Program as a Research Technician, contributing to multiple applied research and extension initiatives, including AFB surveillance, hygienic behaviour testing, Varroa resistance monitoring, queen breeding project, and numerous workshops and field activities across British Columbia, in collaboration with industry partners and academic institutes such as Simon Fraser University, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and the University of British Columbia. Through his research, outreach, and close engagement with beekeepers, researchers, and policymakers, Dr. Fahim is dedicated to advancing sustainable beekeeping practices, strengthening colony health, and enhancing knowledge transfer to support the long-term resilience of the apiculture sector in British Columbia and across Canada.
Julia Common
Bees Actually
As a long time beekeeper, BCHPA Certified Instructor and member of the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists, Julia is a passionate educator both in the classroom and apiary. She has a BSc and MSc degrees in Agriculture and is an experienced speaker and a sought-after mentor. She has been involved in beekeeping since her university days. What started as a summer job became a hobby and later a full-time career. From 2012 through to 2018 she acted as Chief Beekeeper for the Vancouver-based society Hives for Humanity which she co-founded with her daughter Sarah Common. Urban beekeeping led to several epiphanies concerning the health and welfare of both bees and humans. Along with her apiary business, Bees Actually, Julia regularly teaches and participates in academic research. While the class room aspect of beekeeping provides the foundation for ongoing growth, it’s in the bee yard where she has found the most profound learning to take place. “Hands in the hive teaches as nothing else does and this field series serves as a fabulous opportunity”, Julia says. Field work keeps everyone on their toes, feeling alive and focussed and it’s her favourite place to be. Julia is also a member of several local honeybee and native bee clubs in the Fraser Valley and is active in the BC Honey Producers’ Association. She is a valuable voice as we face challenges with bee health, climate change and industry growth.
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