About Ted Leischner B.Sc.,
B.Sc. Biol. U. of Calgary; Agric. Production Dipl., Olds College, Olds, AB; BC Instructors Dipl. VCC; PTT and PDC permaculture certificates 2010.
Over his career, Ted had worked as a vocational agricultural instructor, sugar beet field man, agronomy consultant, and soil biology lab business developer; he has kept bees for 30 years including 10 years as a commercial beekeeper operating 500 hives, raising his own queen bees while teaching beekeeping, applied ecology and pesticide use at an agricultural college in AB. He now lives in Duncan, BC.
Ted’s boyhood haunt and teacher was the grassland, prairie coulees, aspen bluffs and wetlands of NW Calgary, AB He is a life-long earth systems naturalist; and is concerned about the weak links in sustainable agriculture: bee pollination and soil organic matter management using superior composts.
Observing the importance of bees to the economy of southern BC, and noting the serious nature of bee decline, he engaged himself in volunteer bee pollinator conservation outreach working with CANPOLIN researchers. His conservation activities are guided my extensive literature search and investigation to keep current on the topic. He is back to keeping bees, collecting native bees on the coast and doing public speaking events and training workshops to garden clubs, naturalists, beekeepers and conservation and community groups to get the bee pollinator decline story out and coach one and all about what can be done to save honey bees and our 400 plus native bee species in BC to ensure our local capacity for pollination and seed set of flowers, fruits and nuts for decades to come.