For the second straight year, Bayer Crop Science, Bee Culture, and Project Apis m. will celebrate National Pollinator Week (June 18 – 24) by hosting live webinars featuring innovative research aimed at making an immediate impact on honey bee colony health.
The research highlighted is part of the Healthy Hives 2020 initiative – a $1 million program for research grants funded by Bayer and managed by Project Apis m. to improve the health of honey bee colonies in the U.S. by the end of 2020. Webinar registration is free and open to all.
This year, researchers will be joined by beekeepers to underscore the real-life importance of the work in progress and share practical insights on a number of critical bee health issues. The webinar series, moderated by Bee Culture Editor in Chief Kim Flottum, includes:
- Hive Management 2.0: Developing a Practical Tool for Commercial Beekeepers – Tuesday, June 19, from 12 – 1 p.m. EDT, with Dr. Brandon Hopkins, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, at Washington State University, Pullman; and Brody Tomazin, Commercial Beekeeper at 2J Honey Farms and Round Valley Honey Company and President, Idaho Honey Industry Association, Blackfoot, Idaho. Commercial beekeepers are faced with dozens of decisions each day that can impact the health of their hives for years to come. This webinar will provide an overview of the development of a new digital tool that enables beekeepers to collect data as they perform their normal work day without disrupting workflow. Beekeepers can utilize the data to assess management decisions and best practices related to the impact on colony health and/or economic implications for their business.
- The Changing Face of Deformed Wing Virus – Thursday, June 21, from 12 – 1 p.m. EDT, with Dr. Stephen Martin, Professor, School of Environment and Life Sciences at the University of Salford, Manchester, United Kingdom; and Randy Oliver, Commercial Beekeeper and Founder of ScientificBeekeeping.com, Grass Valley, California. Dr. Martin and Randy Oliver will provide an overview on how the Varroa mite is providing a new viral transmission route for Deformed Wing Virus, featuring new research findings and practical insights for beekeepers.
“Healthy Hives 2020 has been an incredibly successful collaboration among industry, academia and the beekeeping community,” said Danielle Downey, Executive Director of Project Apis m. “Through Bayer’s commitment and contribution, we’ve been able to support 10 honey bee health projects being conducted in coordination with 18 participating researchers, beekeepers, farmers and other project partners. The projects funded have already garnered great interest from beekeepers, collaborations and additional resources to pursue next steps. We believe these research initiatives will have a direct and lasting impact on improving bee colony health.”
This National Pollinator Week webinar series is an extension of Bayer’s commitment to research, education, partnerships, and stewardship to address the needs of honey bees.
In addition, Bayer will be sponsoring a first-ever Feed a Bee pop-up planting in Minnesota during National Pollinator Week. To join in virtually to celebrate and raise awareness for pollinators, follow along on Twitter and Instagram.
Bayer is also calling on all nonprofits, growers, beekeepers, businesses, schools, clubs, gardening groups, and more to get involved with the Feed a Bee program. The program aims to provide a tangible solution to the lack of pollinator forage by planting in all 50 states by the end of 2018. Those interested can get involved by applying for a Feed a Bee forage grant or by visiting the newly revamped FeedABee.com for an interactive map and video footage of cross-country forage plantings to date.
