Refuge, DDWS to present next lecture in season series
The 21st annual “Ding” Darling Winter Lecture Series will continue with the Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida on April 2 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at The Roost at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel.
Tune into the hive mind of beekeeping at “Live Hive & Taste: Observing Live Bees with Honey-Tasting,” which will include a sealed live hive and honey tasting. It will feature association President Angela Bartholomew and other members talking about honey bee colony dynamics and honey bee health and behavior. They will delve into organic and responsible beekeeping and how it affects honey production and taste.
The Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida is a nonprofit corporation formed in December 2025 to promote and advance beekeeping, safeguard and support the interests of beekeepers, serve as a catalyst for cooperative and mutual beekeeping efforts, and represent the beekeepers of Florida in advocacy initiatives. The club maintains a small apiary of about three hives in Alva, but its membership consists of approximately 30 beekeepers, each with varying numbers of bee colonies.
Bartholomew is enrolled in the Master Beekeeper Program at the University of Florida in Gainesville and a successful beekeeper of about 35 hives. Membership Manager Virginia Riggs will conduct the tasting of local varietal honeys, including orange blossom, palmetto, mangrove and wildflower.
The “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge co-hosts the series with the refuge and through financial support from sponsors. Friends of the Refuge is sponsoring this lecture.
The remaining series schedule is as follows:
– April 9: Author and conservationist Tina Morris, “Return to the Sky: The Surprising Story of How One Woman and Seven Eaglets Helped Restore the Bald Eagle”*
– April 16: Sanibel author Charles Sobczak, “The Living Gulf Coast: A Nature Guide to Southwest Florida”*
*Book signing will follow
Seating is limited on a first-come basis. Attendees are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs. Most of the open-air seating is under cover, however the DDWS suggests sunscreen, bug spray and weather-appropriate attire.
For more information, visit dingdarlingsociety.org/lecture-series.
The refuge is at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel.