Bee Crisis Explained

May 19, 2014

As honey bees go about their bee-ness, foraging among the pomegranate and other blossoms here in California, internationally recognized entomologist May Berenbaum, professor and head of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is preparing for her Storer Lecture on the UC Davis campus.

Berenbaum will discuss "Bees in Crisis: Colony Collapse, Honey Laundering and Other Problems Bee-Setting American Apiculture" at her public lecture on Tuesday, May 20 at 4:10 p.m. in Ballrooms A and B of the UC Davis Conference Center, 550 Alumni Lane.

We expect a huge crowd to hear her talk about the bee-fuddling crisis. Already we're being asked: "Will her talk be video-recorded?"

Yes, it will.

The reactions range from "Wonderful!" to "Hoo-ray!"

As a spokesperson for the scientific community on the honey bee colony collapse disorder, Berenbaum has conducted research, written op-ed essays and testified before Congress on the issue.

Berenbaum will become president of the 7000-member Entomological Society of America (ESA) in 2016. (Current president of ESA is integrated pest management specialist Frank Zalom, professor of entomology at UC Davis.)

Her talk comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's announcement May 15 that it will host a pollinator summit Oct. 20-21 in Washington, D.C. to address the nutrition and forage needs of pollinators. A consortium of public, private, and non-governmental organizations will focus on the most recent research related to pollinator loss and work to identify solutions.

USDA, headquartered in Washington, D.C., just launched a bee cam at its People's Garden Apiary "as an additional effort to increase public awareness about the reduction of bee populations and to inform Americans about actions they can take to support the recovery of pollinator populations."

The project is appropriately termed "Bee Watch." Check out the Bee Watch website to observe honey bee hive activity live over the Internet 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

Meanwhile, there's more bee watching going on: May Berenbaum's presentation on "Bees in Crisis."