Webinar Series Highlights New Research on Honeybee Health

Bayer, in partnership with Bee Culture and Project Apis m., will celebrate National Pollinator Week, June 19–23, by hosting live webinars on June 19, June 21 and June 23 to showcase innovative research aimed at making an immediate impact on honeybee colony health.

Researchers working on projects funded through the Healthy Hives 2020 initiative, a $1 million research effort to improve the health of honeybee colonies in the U.S. by the end of 2020, will present their findings on a number of critical bee health issues during a webinar series open to anyone interested in bee health.

The webinars include:

• “Tracking the Changing Deformed Wing Virus,” June 19 from 12 – 1 p.m. EST, Stephen Martin, Ph.D., Professor, School of Environment & Life Sciences, University of Salford, Manchester, UK, will discuss how the viral landscape is changing, how these changes are affecting U.S. honeybees and, specifically, how the Varroa mite is providing a new viral transmission route for a previously rare and largely benign virus called Deformed Wing Virus (DWV).
• “The Keys to Colony Success,” June 21 from 12 – 1 p.m. EST, Julie Shapiro, Coalition Facilitator, Keystone Policy Center, Keystone, CO, and Mike Smith, Project Director, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), West Lafayette, IN, will discuss the Honeybee Health Coalition (HBHC) Bee Integrated Demonstration Project showcasing the best management practices (BMPs) that help to reduce honeybee colony loss through a coordinated and collaborative effort.
• “Smarter Hives, Healthier Bees,” June 23 from 12 – 1 p.m. EST, Joseph Cazier, Ph.D. and Ed Hassler, Ph.D. of the Center for Analytics Research and Education, Appalachian State University, and James Wilkes, Ph.D., Computer Science Department, Appalachian State University, and Founder, HiveTracks.com, will discuss advancements in the use of technology-assisted data collection at the honeybee colony level to assist beekeepers in making wise hive management decisions.This National Pollinator Week webinar series is an extension of Bayer’s commitment to research, education, partnerships and stewardship to address the needs of honeybees. Registration is free. Replays will be available following each session.