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Coalition announces awards for innovative projects aimed at improving bee health

January 13, 2018

1 Min Read
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Continued concern about the health of honey bees is drawing continued attention from a number of groups. One area of focus is bee nutrition. The Honey Bee Coalition, which includes a wide-ranging membership from the Agricultural Retailers Associatoin to The Western Apicultural Society - is working to support new initiatives on the topic.

Recently the group awarded $40,000 to four innovative projects aimed at improving bee nutrition and support been and pollinator health. The awards were granted during the 2018 American Bee Research Conference.

The four honorees include:

* $15,000 for Miguel Corona, Steven Cook and Jay Evans, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bee Research Lab, Development and Testing of Optimal Seasonal Nutritional Supplements for Honey Bees.

* $10,000 for Waled Suliman and Brandon Hopkins, Washington State University, A Novel Feed Additive for Protecting Bees and Confronting Colony Collapse Disorder.

* $7,500 for Paul Stamets, Fungi Perfect LLC, Fungal Extracts for Honey Bee Health

* $7,000 for Patrick Heritier-Robbins, Georgia Institute of Technology, Bee Ultra Sound

The coalition launched the Bee Nutrition Challenge in August 2017 to find new ways to improve bee forage and nutrition - a primary driver of the challenge bees and managed pollinators face in North America. The finalists were announced in November, and presented their ideas at a panel held during the conference.

Funding for the prizes came from Monsanto, a coalition member. In addition to the prize, the winners will have full access to subject matter experts and others from the coalition's member organizations for mentoring and advice.

Source: Honey Bee Coalition

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