At the 2013 Commodity Classic last week, Bayer Crop Science announced the groundbreaking of the North American Bayer Bee Care Center. About one-third of all the crops consumed in the United States come from insect-pollinated plants, and honey bees are responsible for 80 percent of that pollination. A rapid decline in bee colonies is threatening the production of foods due to factors such as pest exposure, disease, viruses, bacteria, fungi, and pesticides.

The center, based out of Research Triangle Park, NC, will be the research grounds where Bayer scientists will meet with bee experts to develop products that combat disease and minimize the impact of neonicotinoid seed treatments. The center also will be used to educate farmers on best practices to handle treated seed and prevent chemical spray drift to prevent bee deaths.

In conjunction with the new center Bayer is launching a mobile bee care tour across the Midwest. A tour bus will travel to university agriculture schools and farm communities across Corn Belt states over the next three months. Tour stops will include The Ohio State University in Wooster; University of Illinois in Urbana; Iowa State University in Ames; The University of Nebraska in Lincoln; and University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

To learn more about the Bayer Bee Care Centers and bee health initiatives, go to:

http://www.bayercropscience.us/our-commitment/bee-health