Despite widely published reports, many people are unaware that bees -- both managed colonies of honeybees and wild bees alike -- are in trouble due to Colony Collapse Disorder and other environmental factors. Planting a pollinator-friendly garden may be one of the best ways to help these beneficial insects, say experts in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. (more)
A nationwide network to monitor and maintain honeybee health is the aim of the Bee Informed Partnership, a five-year, $5 million program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture and led by Penn State. (more)
Penn State's efforts to address Colony Collapse Disorder, a nationwide phenomenon in which the adult honeybees of a hive disappear, often spelling death for the colony, will benefit from a gift of $100,000 to aid pollinator research. Honey distributor Dutch Gold Honey and William and Kitty Gamber, of Lancaster, Pa., have each contributed $50,000 to endow a fund that will support undergraduates studying entomology. (more)
Top researchers, government officials and representatives of organizations from around the world will be presenting their latest findings on honeybees and other pollinators at the inaugural International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy being held by the Penn State Center for Pollinator Research, July 24-28 at the University Park campus. (more)
Penn State has received a $250,000 gift to endow a graduate fellowship in entomology in the College of Agricultural Sciences. At the request of the donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, the endowment will be named the Lorenzo L. Langstroth Graduate Fellowship in Entomology, in honor of the 19th century apiarist widely considered to be the "father of American beekeeping." (more)
Across the country, pollinators such as honeybees and hummingbirds are declining due to habitat loss, diseases such as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), pests and excessive pesticide use. Penn State researchers and educators are hoping to help combat these issues by promoting ways home gardeners can help pollinator populations thrive. (more)
Penn State research on honeybee health and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) will receive a boost as a result of a $100,000 gift from the E.B. O'Keeffe Foundation. The award will fund a competitive graduate fellowship that will pair a student's area of study with a leading researcher already working on that problem. (more)
Honeybees in colonies affected by colony collapse disorder (CCD) have higher levels of pathogens and are co-infected with a greater number of pathogens than their non-CCD counterparts, but no individual pathogen can be singled out as the cause of CCD, according to a new study by researchers from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, other universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. (more)
Whether you are a seasoned gardener or a novice green thumb, you can join the fight to save the honeybees by planting your own pollinator-friendly garden this spring, according to a horticulture specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. (more)
The nation's largest grower of wild blueberries -- a crop that relies on honeybees for pollination -- has thrown its support behind Penn State research aimed at finding solutions to the health crisis facing the nation's honeybee colonies. Ed Flanagan, president of Wyman's of Maine, visited Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences Thursday (March 26) to present a check for $50,000 to support research on Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, a mysterious ailment that has led to the disappearance of up to one-third of U.S. commercial honeybee hives since late 2006. (more)
