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Dr. Gina Calvo Sandor
Hi, I am Dr. Gina Calvo Sandor, DVM, Cheatham County Animal Clinic, Ashland City, TN.
In high school, I was taught about 2 different versions of heroes. There was the typical protagonist, but then there was also the “reluctant hero”, or a character that rises to the occasion when needed. Mid-January, I saw the blurb in the February edition of Bee Culture about needing keepers to speak to media, and I thought “Oh, why not, let’s rise to the occasion.” I was not expecting a prompt email reply from Jerry Hayes in less than 24 hours! I was also NOT expecting to be prompted to write an article! Other than a few brief tidbits about dental health in dogs/cats and nutritional requirements of herbivorous reptiles, the last prose I’ve written was probably in my fictional creative writing class in undergrad well over 10 years ago…so here goes nothing.
Now, I’m no Dr. Tracy Farone/Bee Vet at this point in my beekeeping. I’m her at the beginning of her book, the “baby stage”– aka LOTS of reading, reading, reading. I joined my local beekeeping association last summer where I was openly welcomed and invited to inspect hives by Chris and his wife Heather Banks (who up until January were President and VP of the association) and am a member of my state beekeeping association but have yet to really interact on that level. I’m also a member of HBVC (Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium) and was able to attend last year’s conference virtually and obtained about 15 hours of continued education. It is my hope that I will eventually get my Honey Bee Vet Certification in the near future, after lots and lots of hands-on experience with the bees. My husband graciously gifted me my first 2 hives for my birthday, but I may be waiting until a year or so before starting them so that I can make sure I give them the best chance of survival.
Speaking of survival, protecting and educating about our livestock, i.e. the honey bees, is a big reason behind my wanting to enter this world. In vet school, I did Summer research on the aspects of anthelmintics (aka dewormers) and haemonchus contortus’s growing resistance to many of the common dewormers farmers could purchase over the counter, particularly in camelids and small ruminants. I’m seeing a trend regarding varroa and I hope we don’t get to the point of multi-drug resistance, which is where genetics and husbandry really make their debut. That of course could make an entire book, and I was instructed to keep this my first Bee Culture contribution to 1/2 to 1 page, so another time!
I am reaching out to you, dear reader, to be your conduit. Particularly if you’re in Tennessee and are shy of the spotlight but want to have someone that can bring up your issues you may want presented to the media/masses. Ultimately this is my outlet from the day-to-day aspect of veterinary medicine. I’m doing this because I genuinely care about our Honey Bees and want to better our planet in the long run. And maybe because I’m also the typical Type A veterinarian whose brain doesn’t turn off, you be the judge. We are all in this together and I want it to be with you.
Dr. Gina Sandor obtained her BS in Animal Science at the University of Tennessee at Martin. She then went on to veterinary school at University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. She is currently an associate veterinarian at Cheatham County Animal Clinic in Ashland City, TN. Her goals for beekeeping include outreach and education, but she wouldn’t mind eventually getting some honey from her own hives.
Dr. Gina Calvo Sandor,
Associate Veterinarian, Cheatham County Animal Clinic
gcalvosandor@gmail.com
The first honey bees Dr. Sandor sees of the season in her yard enjoy her holly bushes starting in April
The last honey bees Dr. Sandor sees of the season in her yard forage off her holy basil in her herb garden into late October
