Olivia Schaefer

Created by a team of researchers and web designers at Penn State University, “Beescape” is an online tool that helps improve pollinator forage and landscape in a particular region. It’s simple to use; launch the web program and enter your location to see a quality rating of your local flora and fauna, as well as the differing land uses in your area and quick data about the climate. In addition, users of “iNaturalist” can add in photos of plants and pollinators alike, and the exact location where they were found. Plus, you can explore past and present weather trends to better understand their impact on pollinator health and forage.

Beescape designers continue to improve the program, hinting that new tools will be available for use in the future. The program is the first step of many to improving overall pollinator health, for both honeybees and native species. Programs like this also suggest there is a brighter, more cohesive future in which beekeepers and conservationists join forces and share resources beneficial to both groups. Check out this unique opportunity at the link below!

https://pollinators.psu.edu/bee-health/beescape

You can now find information from the USDA’s ‘Latest Buzz’ on the Bee Health Collective website! New jobs and funding opportunities are posted on the bulletin board and pollinator events and news can be found below! To submit items for The Latest Buzz contact [email protected]. To receive an email when The Latest Buzz is updated use the sign up button below. Please note that your information will not be shared or used for any other purpose other than receiving The Latest Buzz.

News:

• New Beescape tool from Penn State, now available here  
• Grant Increases Habitat for Pollinators Across Michigan

• https://entomologytoday.org/2023/08/24/urban-greening-small-plots-native-plants-boost-insect-species/ 

• https://www.1011now.com/2023/08/11/unl-professor-helps-develop-drug-combat-honeybee-parasite/ 
• Report Reflects Continued Stress on U.S. Honeybee Colonies 
• Monson’s Honey and Pollination Partners with BeeHero to Empower Australian Beekeepers and Growers with Sustainable, Data-Driven Pollination Practices
•  Federal Register notice

Events:

• Orchard Bee conference: https://tinyurl.com/OrchardBee-2023
• Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium Meeting
• Great Lakes Pollinator Habitat workshop.
• 19th COLOSS Conference 2023, Slovenia

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Information presented should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S Government determination or policy. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

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Olivia Schaefer

If you missed out on the January American Beekeeping Federation conference, don’t worry! Many of the talks were recorded and are now available to view on Project Apis m.’s youtube page. Below are some of the main talks with information about the speaker and topic.

General Session Day 1:

Dr. Diana Cox-Foster of USDA-ARS Pollinating Insect Research Unit in Logan, UT, gave a talk entitled “Ensuring Healthy Pollinators for Crop Production: Defining Forage Needs of Bees Through Examination of Interactions of Bee Species and Pollen Use.“

Dr. Scott McArt of Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies, Cornell University, gave a talk entitled “Disease Transmission and Spillover in Plant-Pollinator Networks.“

General Session Day 2:

Dr. Diana Cox-Foster of USDA-ARS Pollinating Insect Research Unit in Logan, UT, gave a talk entitled “Bee Health: Untangling the Impacts of Agrochemicals and Pathogens.”

Dr. Garrett Slater of USDA-ARS Baton Rouge Bee Lab, gave a talk entitled “What Causes ‘Dud’ Drones?“

Dr. Samuel Ramsey of Colorado University, Boulder, gave a talk entitled “Pollinator Pandemic.”

General Session Day 3:

Danielle Downey of Project Apis m. gave a talk entitled “Project Apis m. Research and Programs Update.”

Dr. Jay Evans of USDA-ARS Beltsville Bee Research Lab, gave a talk entitled “Understanding and Managing Honey Bee Diseases.”

Megan MaHoney of MaHoney Queens and Bees, gave a talk entitled “Commercial Beekeeping as a Platform for Selection.”

Randy Oliver of Scientific Beekeeping, gave a talk entitled “Scientific Beekeeping: Beekeeper Funded, Applied Research.”