National Pollinator Week Webinar Series to Highlight New Research on Key Honey Bee Health Issues

Research in progress is part of a multiyear effort to improve honey bee colony health by 2020

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., May 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer, in partnership with Bee Culture and Project Apis m., will celebrate National Pollinator Week (June 19–23) by hosting live webinars on Monday, June 19, Wednesday, June 21 and Friday, June 23 at 12 p.m. ET to showcase innovative research aimed at making an immediate impact on honey bee colony health. To register for free, click here.

Researchers working on projects funded through the Healthy Hives 2020 initiative, a $1 million research effort to improve the health of honey bee colonies in the U.S. by the end of 2020, will present their findings on a number of critical bee health issues during a webinar series open to anyone interested in bee health.

The webinars include:

• "Tracking the Changing Deformed Wing Virus" – Monday, June 19 from 12 – 1 p.m. ET – where Stephen Martin, Ph.D., Professor, School of Environment & Life Sciences, University of Salford, Manchester, UK, will discuss how the viral landscape is changing, how these changes are affecting U.S. honey bees and, specifically, how the Varroa mite is providing a new viral transmission route for a previously rare and largely benign virus called Deformed Wing Virus (DWV).
• "The Keys to Colony Success" – Wednesday, June 21 from 12 – 1 p.m. ET – where Julie Shapiro, Coalition Facilitator, Keystone Policy Center, Keystone, CO, and Mike Smith, Project Director, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), West Lafayette, IN, will discuss the Honey Bee Health Coalition (HBHC) Bee Integrated Demonstration Project showcasing the best management practices (BMPs) that help to reduce honey bee colony loss through a coordinated and collaborative effort.
• "Smarter Hives, Healthier Bees" – Friday, June 23 from 12 – 1 p.m. ET – where Joseph Cazier, Ph.D. and Ed Hassler, Ph.D. of the Center for Analytics Research and Education, Appalachian State University, and James Wilkes, Ph.D., Computer Science Department, Appalachian State University, and Founder, HiveTracks.com, will discuss advancements in the use of technology-assisted data collection at the honey bee colony level to assist beekeepers in making wise hive management decisions.

This National Pollinator Week webinar series is an extension of Bayer's commitment to research, education, partnerships and stewardship to address the needs of honey bees. To register for free, click here. Replays will be available following each session here.

For more information on Bayer's bee health initiatives, please visit: http://beehealth.bayer.us. You can also follow and share with us on Twitter @Bayer4CropsUS, on Facebook at facebook.com/BayerBeeCareCenter and view photos on Flickr.

Bayer is committed to bringing new technology and solutions for agriculture and non-agricultural uses. For questions concerning the availability and use of products, contact a local Bayer representative, or visit Crop Science, a division of Bayer, online at www.cropscience.bayer.us.

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