Bio
As a leading scientist at the Apicultural Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Professor Jianke Li obtained a Ph.D. degree from Zhejiang University in China. He is also a scientist on the state key project of the earmarked fund for the Modern Agro-Industry Technology System in China. His major research focuses on beekeeping technology and honeybee biology. He is now acting as an international convenor of royal jelly working group under ISO. More than 100 papers have been published in high-ranking international journals such as eLife, Molecular Cellular Proteomics, and Molecular Ecology. Based on the data from the core collection of the Web of Science, he is the most prolific author in the area of royal jelly research. He is also a reviewer for the Journal of Proteome Research, Journal of Proteomics, etc. “Revealing the mechanism of the high yield and biochemical characteristics of royal jelly” was awarded the second prize for scientific and technological achievements by the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission. He guide about 50 graduate students including more than international ones.

Talk
Emerging and Endemic Honey Bee Threats in Italy: Surveillance, Control, and Regulatory Challenges

Bio
Dr. Franco Mutinelli directs the strategic operative project “protection of animals used for scientific purposes” and the Department SCS3—Specialist Diagnostics, Histopathology and Sanitary Entomology (2003) of Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie. He is also the Director of the National Reference Centre for Beekeeping (2003), the National Reference Laboratory for Bee Diseases (2018), the FAO Reference Centre for Apiculture: Health, Biosecurity and AMR (in co-sharing with IZSLT) (2019), and the Head of the Regional Centre for Beekeeping in Veneto (1995). Since June 2021, he has been the Director of the National Reference Centre for Assisted Interventions with Animals. He graduated in Veterinary Medicine in 1983 at the University of Bologna, followed by the European College of Veterinary Pathologists in 1998, and in 2006 the Executive Master in Management for Healthcare Companies (EMMAS V, Bocconi University). He has several collaborations in national and international research projects. He participated as a speaker and tutor in the Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF) events “Animal Health of Bees” (2010–2017), Live Animals “Import Control of Bees and Bumblebees” (2017–2023) and “Companion Animals Movement” (2017–2019); he also participated in TAIEX events (2018–2025) in Giordan, Northern Cyprus and Egypt related to the protection and improvement of the health of bees and the production of the bee and the beehive. He is also a member of the EU Expert Group for Bee Diseases.

Talk
Best Management Practices for Improving Carniolan (Apis mellifera carnica) Honey Bee Population

Bio
Aleš Gregorc is a researcher and teacher of Apiculture at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences (Slovenia). He was awarded his degree in veterinary medicine by the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and MSc by the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Zagreb, Croatia and completed my PhD at the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Ljubljana. He performed research at Cardiff University (UK) and worked four years at the Florida State Uni. and at the Mississippi State Uni. (US). Since 2018 he has been employed by the University of Maribor as bee researcher and professor of Apiculture. During his carrier, he also worked as official advisor for honey bee diseases and have been keeping bees for about 40 years as a beekeeper in family operation. Aleš Gregorc is a researcher specializing in honey bee biology and health, with a focus on understanding the factors that influence bee vitality and colony resilience. His work contributes to improving scientific knowledge of honey bee physiology, disease dynamics, and environmental stressors, supporting sustainable beekeeping. He is committed to bridging research and practice to address current challenges facing honey bees.

Talk
Vitellogenin As the Molecular Bridge Between Landscape Use and Bee Health

Bio
Katrina Klett is from a migratory beekeeping family in the United States. Growing up, she was involved in honey production in the north and queen breeding in the south. After leaving home, she worked globally on other beekeeping crews before shifting focus to beekeeping for rural development. She is the co-founder of Elevated Honey Co., a honey company in Yunnan, China. Katrina studied chemical ecology and honey bee pheromonal communication at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Kunming, Yunnan, China. She completed her PhD at the University of Minnesota, studying honey bee nutritional physiology and land use decisions. She is planning to start post doctoral research at Southern Cross University in New South Wales, Australia.