Calgary, Alberta, Canada
April 23, 2014
Bayer CropScience is introducing a series of new initiatives and resources to advance pollinator health in Canada and the US, including the opening of its North American Bee Care Centre at the company’s North American headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina at Research Triangle Park.
The North American Centre is part of the company’s over $13 million investment in bee health in 2014 and brings together industry experts, including entomologists, apiarists and graduate researchers to develop comprehensive solutions for bee health. A hub for worldwide honey bee health initiatives, the Centre supports scientific research and development, and education of the public on honey bees’ integral role in agriculture. On April 15, more than 13 Canadian delegates, representing the Canadian grower and beekeeper communities, attended the grand opening of the facility.
“Honey bees are essential to modern agriculture production, and our North American Bee Care Centre will help facilitate the research needed to help honey bees meet the increasing global demand for crop pollination,” said Paul Thiel, VP Innovation and Public Affairs, Bayer CropScience in Canada. “Healthy honey bees mean a more substantial and nutritious food supply for us all, and we understand the many complex issues affecting honey bees’ ability to thrive, including disease, parasites such as Varroa mites, weather, genetics and more.”
The over $2.6 million centre brings together significant technological, scientific and academic resources from Canada and the US to promote honey bee health, product stewardship and sustainable agriculture. A 6,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility, the Centre complements the Northern Bee Care Technology Station in Rockwood, Ontario, the Eastern Bee Care Technology Station in Clayton, N.C., and a Bee Care Centre at the joint global headquarters campus of Bayer CropScience and Bayer Animal Health in Monheim, Germany.
“The new Bayer Bee Care Centre brings much needed resources and expertise to help solve the pressing health challenges for honey bees in Canada and the US,” said Rod Scarlett, Executive Director of the Canadian Honey Council who recently attended the Centre opening. “The complex honey bee health issue can only be managed by collaboration between beekeepers, growers and industry, guided by sound scientific research and best practices.”
In addition to the centre, Bayer CropScience has advanced the improvement of pollinator health in Canada by focusing on the following:
- Introducing Fluency Agent, a wax-based seed flow lubricant that has been shown to dramatically reduce the amount of insecticide active ingredient released during the planting process. The use of the Fluency Agent is required by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) during the 2014 planting season with neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seeds;
- Establishing the Northern Bee Care Technology Station as a research apiary to monitor overwintering success of bee hives in Eastern Canada and the observation of hive health and forager interactions with a wide variety of horticultural and row crops;
- Developing a smartphone application for growers and beekeepers to improve communication and understanding of bee yard and hive locations, by collaborating with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and Driftwatch. The application will be introduced this year; and,
- Completing a broad-based Sentinel Hive project to monitor and track the long-term health of honey bee colonies in Ontario before, during and after corn planting as a means of assessing the true impact of this agricultural practice. The research results are expected later this year and will provide a better understanding and real-time information necessary to protect pollinators and ensure sustainable agricultural practices.
For more than 25 years, Bayer has been committed to environmental stewardship and the protection of beneficial insects, including honey bees. For more information on Bayer’s Bee Care Program, please visit http://www.cropscience.bayer.ca/Our-Company/Bee-Care.aspx.
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