Information about our two new books:

In Foraging Afar, commercial beekeeper and travelling connoisseur William Blomstedt shares his experience of working with beekeepers from around the world, recapturing moments of tragedy (when his hives topple during transit) and moments of comedy (during his search for a taste of Anzer honey). Mark Dykes, Former Chief of the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, describes the book as having “great insight into the world of modern commercial beekeeping … [Blomstedt] takes us on an extraordinary journey into beekeeping that spans the world.”

Mead and Honey Wines: A Comprehensive Guide, written by Michael Badger MBE, is a comprehensive guide to making mead. The text “describes every aspect of the process from the varieties of honeys, their characteristics and qualities for the production of superior wine; the yeasts types available; to the various methods of mead production with extensive recipes. There is a problem-solving section and discussion of the criteria for judging and exhibiting meads. It is supported by an extensive glossary and index.”Mead maker Ken Schramm wrote the foreword, and Kim Flottum contributed with the endnote. The book reflects a lifetime of work and experience in mead production, and it integrates both British and American perspectives of mead making.

The History

What eventually evolved into Wicwas Press LLC first sold audio-visual programs at the 1976 American Beekeeping Federation meeting in Philadelphia, Penna. It was called the Beekeeping Education Service at the time. Roger and Mary Lou Morse started Wicwas Press in 1978. The company was named after Lake Wicwas in New Hampshire, where Mary Lou grew up. Roger published several books he had written, as well as books of poetry by his father, Grant D. Morse. In 1989, Wicwas was purchased by Dr. Lawrence J. Connor who organized it into an LLC in Connecticut. Now published out of Kalamazoo, MI, Wicwas’s titles include numerous acclaimed works by contemporary authors and bee experts, as well as reprints of significant historical beekeeping books and fiction.

Dr. Lawrence Connor Lifetime Achievement Award

The close of the Heartland Apicultural Society’s 2015 meeting in Albion, Michigan came with a pleasant surprise for keynote speaker and lifelong advocate of sustainable beekeeping, Dr. Lawrence John Connor of Wicwas Press LLC. HAS event organizer Rich Wieski took the stage with Dr. Connor in order to present the speaker with a Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of both the Michigan Beekeepers Association and the Heartland Apicultural Society.

Born and raised in Kalamazoo County, Dr. Connor has been attending to and learning from bees from a young age. Earning his PhD in Entomology from Michigan State University, Dr. Connor’s career has taken him throughout the United States and internationally to educate new and experienced beekeepers of all ages on contemporary, practical and thoughtful beekeeping practices for the betterment of themselves, their communities and their bees.

The Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Dr. Connor cites his work in mentoring the next generation of queen breeders, acknowledging the top-tier instructional workshops Dr. Connor provides for bee groups across the globe, the articles he writes for the industry trade magazines American Bee Journal and Bee Culture and the numerous books he continues to author and publish as senior partner at Wicwas Press LLC, Dr. Connor’s publishing company that specializes in educational books on many subjects vital to good beekeeping practices.