Bayer Celebrates National Pollinator Week with a Wide Range of Bee Health Educational Activities

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- 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. To register for free or watch replays available following each session, click here.

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.

Have a forage project that you'd like to see come to life in your community? 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.

Healthy Hives 2020 and Feed a Bee are initiatives sponsored by Bayer's Bee Care Program, continuing its nearly 30 years of supporting bee health. For more information on Bayer's bee health initiatives, please visit: http://beehealth.bayer.us. You can also follow and share with us on Twitter @BayerBeeCare, on Facebook at facebook.com/BayerBeeCareCenter and view photos on Flickr.

Bayer is committed to bringing new technology and solutions for agriculture and non-agricultural uses. For questions concerning the availability and use of products, contact a local Bayer representative, or visit Crop Science, a division of Bayer, online at www.cropscience.bayer.us.

Visit the Bayer Connect - Social Hub for social media, recent news, blog posts, videos and more from Crop Science, a division of Bayer.

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2017, the Group employed around 99,800 people and had sales of EUR 35.0 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.4 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.5 billion. For more information, go to www.bayer.us.

About Project Apis m.
Project Apis m. (PAm) is the go-to organization at the interface of honey bees and pollinated crops. Since 2006, we've infused nearly $7 million into honey bee research which aims to provide healthier bees, resulting in better pollination and increased crop yields for the grower, and lower losses and better honey production for the beekeeper. We work closely with commercial beekeepers, growers, and top bee scientists in the USA and Canada to direct strategic efforts focused on practical solutions. PAm funds research studies, purchases equipment for research labs, supports graduate students through scholarships to encourage careers in pursuit of science-based solutions to honey bee challenges, and has expanding efforts to enhance honey bee health and nutrition by putting forage on the landscape where it counts most for bees. We are a non-profit 501 (c) (5) organization governed by a nine-member board. Our board members are beekeepers, pollinators and honey producers representing major national and state industry organizations. PAm also has five scientific advisors who review project proposals with the board. For more information, go to www.ProjectApism.org.

Contact:
Bayer Media Hotline, 1-862-404-5118, or

Susan Luke
Crop Science, a division of Bayer
Tel: (314) 919-6769
Email: [email protected]

Kristen Ellis
Porter Novelli
Tel: (404) 995-7907
Email: [email protected]

Find more information at www.cropscience.bayer.us. 

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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SOURCE Bayer