upcoming event

Date: Monday, April 27, 6:30 p.m.

Location: United Methodist Church of Kent, 1435 E Main St.

Cost: $16 per person, cash or check at the door

On the Dinner Menu: Stuffed Shells (meat and vegetarian options), salad, garlic bread, beverages, dessert

RSVP You can RSVP by registering online at https://tinyurl.com/5askzach or emailing BackyardPest@gmail.com. Club callers will check in with members who prefer to respond by phone. Deadline to reserve is Thursday, April 23.

Bees are among the best pollinators of our favorite fruits and flowers. Besides being useful, they are beautiful insects with a wide variety of shapes, sizes and coloration. 

In his presentation, "Inviting Native Bees to Your Garden," Dr. Robert Heath will discuss the difference between native bees and honey bees — especially why keeping honey bees will not solve the problem of declining pollinator populations. He will present some results from a couple of research projects in which he participated. Then he will focus on bumblebees and describe how best to attract them to your gardens by providing habitat they prefer.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER  Our speaker is Robert T. (Bob) Heath, PhD, a pollinator specialist. When he retired from Kent State’s Department of Biological Sciences, Dr. Heath became interested in the essential ecosystem activity: pollination. On the faculty as an ecosystem ecologist, with a degree in Biophysics, he needed to expand his horizons into the realm of native bee ecology. He studied with Denise Ellsworth locally and also with Dr. Olivia Carril in field bee biology. From there he has participated in several research projects to identify the phenology of native bees in Ohio and an exploration of habitat bumblebees prefer.