John Miller
The Center for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER) is located at University of California, Riverside (UCR). On September 10 & 11, 2022, a Bee Health Conference addressed a range of hive health related topics.
I was fortunate to attend, along with invited presenters, a few local beekeepers, local club representatives and a big dose of university researchers, advisors and their students.
The ideas expressed pointed to hive health improvements – and looming threats everyone who likes to eat should think about. I’m serious.
The first CIBER event was in 2018. It was then a new idea led by Dr. Boris Baer & his wife Dr. Barbara Baer-Imhoof. After that 2018 meeting, much deliberation occurred, as is the case in academia. In a bee world of snap judgments; it isn’t wrong to have a deliberative time out.
Commercial beekeepers seldom take deliberate time outs – because our world constantly changes. Weather changes large and small, pest control measures on crops where bees are located or under contract can come out of nowhere. A Bee Informed report with disturbing information – commercial beekeepers live in a world convulsed by constant change. Sometimes we flee to the beeyard isolation to escape the constant interruptions.
In 2018 the CIBER priorities were:
Communication.
Parasites.
Pesticides.
Pasture (including nutrition).
In 2022 the CIBER priorities are:
Communications
Parasites
Pesticides
Pasture (including nutrition).
But these priorities, though unchanged, have in some cases, significantly different focus than four years ago.
Here are three examples.
At the University of California, Riverside – Dr. Boris Baer’s students investigate Nosema ceranae.
Jessica Webb shared new Nosema insights such as: Nosema measurably changes the odor of a honey bee, a key finding in developing metabolomics (a new word for me). Through the lab metabolomics studies, an effective vaccine is in development. Nosema spores are a sexually transmitted disease found in the seminal fluid of a queen bee spermatheca. Ms. Webb’s presentation was lucid and informative. Currently, in the lab, vaccinations are above 30% effective and approaching 40%.
Deliberate for a moment the benefit to beekeeping if an effective, available Nosema vaccine becomes available. In the future, queen rearing operations will be able to vaccinate queen cells, prior to emergence; and if queen mating yards are stocked with drone hives populated with Nosema-vaccinated drones, queens and her progeny will be healthier. Queens may live longer, more productive lives. In 2023, queen breeders will graft millions of queen cells. In a few years, queen breeders will vaccinate their stock against Nosema.
This innovative approach to a honey bee parasite – this original thinking – rewards beekeepers attending bee meetings. Preventative measures are always more productive than redemptive measures. Project Apis m., among others, funds this research.
Beekeeping has a long, uneasy, destructive, effective relationship with pesticides. During the conference, we were divided into work groups. One of the groups circled back on a several decades old idea. Include a honey bee repellent in pesticide formulations to reduce pesticide kills.
Pesticides are not going away. Americans who like to eat demand safe food. Taste is important. Appearance is important. Flawless is important. Thus, production agriculture uses pesticides to attract customers; literally. Pesticides are with us. The several decades old idea is to craft pesticides that repel honey bees from treated fields… at least repel the non-target insect from the target insect long enough to kill the target insect, and save the non-target beneficial insects. It’s a good idea. Pesticide chemistry has changed in the past 40 years. It might be a good time to re-investigate a repellent action in a pesticide – to save the very good bugs, and still kill the terrible, horrible, very bad bugs bugging us.
We heard an excellent presentation from Samuel Ramsey, Ph.D., the American with deepest Tropilaelaps mercedesae (T.m.) experience. I grabbed a few chilling ideas from his presentation. When T.m. recently expanded its range into Pakistan, it killed every single hive in Pakistan. T.m.’s expanded range now includes Iran. The range expansion of T.m. is eerily similar to that of Varroa destructor. At the most, we have 15 years to prepare for T.m. arrival.
Or maybe we have six years to prepare. Or maybe we have three years.
The most disturbing thought for me is this: we, American beekeepers – and all the production agriculture dependent on beneficial pollinators, our bees – currently have one set of eyes on this existential threat. I can think of no better ambassador than Dr. Ramsey to sound the T.m. alarm. Bee research is tragically underfunded. This industry should re-fund additional missions to the existing range of T.m. with a cross-discipline approach. What I mean is – Varroa is bad; Tropilaelaps is Ten Times Worse. We must fund additional research and develop materials ten times better to prevent the arrival of T.m. Take the fight to T.m. with the intellectual curiosity shown by Dr. Ramsey; now add ten post-doctoral students. Cross discipline means scientists with experience with different, yet similar parasite/host relationships. We must find a vulnerability. We must find effective treatments. We must invest in the future of food security. Things are different in Thailand than America. Thailand has more species of bees than America. I know that our honey bee, our western honey bee, is arguably the most beneficial insect on earth. I know that our bee, the western honey bee, is the global champion of honey production and managed pollination services. I know Thai beekeepers prefer our bee to any other bee.
Project Apis m. funds Dr. Ramsey’s research.
I know making the decision to attend a meeting; get on a plane from North Dakota to California – the motel rooms, the meals and the chaos of air travel is not improved. I know the decision to step away from the computer and our homes – go for four days – to absorb eight hours of compelling content is – for me – a no-brainer decision. I came away from the CIBER meeting inspired and alarmed. A bee meeting adds value for beekeepers large and small when the meeting content inspires and alarms.
A meeting planner’s heavy responsibility is to deliver the content. Deliver the ideas. Deliver the solutions, sound the alarms, identify the threats to our businesses, large and small – to make this passion we are all in together – succeed.
Pick out a good meeting. Go. Make a donation to bee research.
“Make something about your life more than about your life.”
–Pat Heitkam
