Friday morning, before the Northern Council meeting, the state board visited the University of California, Davis, Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility where they talked with beekeepers and researchers. The state board had the opportunity to witness bees at work, identified queens, and donned hats and face nets to get up close and personal with bees. Debbie and Adele held a buzzing little drone! Others tried…the critter got away! (Drones have no stingers, you know.)

Laidlaw, the largest and most comprehensive state-supported agriculture facility in North America and the only one in California, is looking for answers to address the worldwide phenomenon of colony collapse disorder (CCD). The facility leads the cutting-edge research focused on basic bee biology and genetics and the investigation of declining populations of honey bees, native bees, and other insect pollinators. Currently, multiple possible causes of CCD have been identified: mites and insect diseases, pathogens, environmental change-related stresses, malnutrition, pesticides, and migratory beekeeping to name several. Did you realize that home-owner use of pesticides is probably more excessive than that used commercially?

To aid with the research, the Haagen-Dazs corporation sponsored a Honey Bee Haven –  a half-acre bee friendly garden next to the Laidlaw facility. The goals of the garden are to provide a year-round food source for the Laidlaw bees and other pollinators, to raise public awareness about the plight of honey bees, and to encourage visitors to plant bee-friendly gardens of their own.

Bees are at the heart of our existence. Much of the food we eat, from almonds to watermelon, with grapes for wine in between, is dependent upon bees for pollination. The State Regent’s Project, through the sale of pins and other bee-related items, will support research at U.C. Davis.

Submitted by: Adele Lancaster