Programs

  • Save The Bee Pollinator Partnership

    1. POLLINATOR HABITAT DEVELOPMENT:OBJECTIVE:THE GOAL OF THE MULTI-YEAR SAVE THE BEE X POLLINATOR PARTNERSHIP PROJECT IS TO INCREASE POLLINATOR NESTING HABITAT AND FORAGE RESOURCES ACROSS DIVERSE U.S. FARMS. THROUGH HABITAT TYPES SUCH AS BETWEEN-ROW SEEDING, HEDGEROW INSTALLMENTS, DESIGNATED SEEDING PLOTS, AND NECTAR STEM PLANTING AREAS, THIS INITIATIVE AIMS TO SUPPORT POLLINATOR HEALTH, IMPROVE SOIL QUALITY, AND PROVIDE NATURAL PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM) BENEFITS.ACCOMPLISHMENTS:- FARM PARTNER SELECTION: FARMS WERE SELECTED BASED ON THEIR UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS AND POTENTIAL FOR MEANINGFUL POLLINATOR IMPACT ACROSS DIFFERENT U.S. REGIONS- SEED MIX/HEDGE ROW SELECTION: EACH FARM'S SEED MIX OR HEDGE ROW WAS CAREFULLY SELECTED FOR DIVERSE BLOOM PERIODS AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPATIBILITY, CONSIDERING FACTORS LIKE REGIONAL CLIMATE, SOIL HEALTH NEEDS, AND INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM) SERVICES.- TOTAL AREA PLANTED AND MAINTAINED: APPROXIMATELY 1 MILLION SQUARE FEET ACROSS ALL PARTICIPATING FARMS AND LOCATIONS.LOCATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS:HALBRENDT WINERY, ORRTANNA, PA 2.5 ACRESROSE COTTAGE LLC, MERIDIAN, ID 17 ACRES (ADDITIONAL 50 ACRES WITH RECIPIENT FUNDING)ABBEY ROAD FARM, CARLTON, OR 24,150 SQ FTFLIP FLOP FARM, PESCADERO, CA 4,915 SQ FT (SPRING PLANTING) WITH 18,800 SQ FT PLANTED IN FALLSENGLE'S MOUNTAINHOME BLUEBERRY FARM, JULIAN, PA 2,200 SQ FTMANULIFE FARM, WASHINGTON PLANNING PHASE, NO PLANTED AREA YETNACHES VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT, NACHES, WA, 4000 SQ FTTHE SAVE THE BEE X POLLINATOR PARTNERSHIP PROJECT HAS INITIATED AND SUPPORTED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY HABITATS ACROSS VARIOUS U.S. FARMS, EACH TAILORED TO ITS ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS AND OBJECTIVES. THIS REPORT DETAILS EACH FARM'S PLANTING SPECIFICS AND INTENDED ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS:- MANULIFE FARM (WASHINGTON) IS IN ITS INITIAL PLANNING PHASE, WITH SEEDING BETWEEN ORCHARD ROWS AND HEDGEROW INSTALLATIONS SCHEDULED. PLANT SELECTION AIMS TO ENRICH SOIL NITROGEN AND PROVIDE CONTINUOUS FORAGE.- NACHES VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICTAPPROXIMATELY 4,000 SQ FT. OF HEDGEROW WAS PREPPED IN 2024 AND PLANTED IN SPRING 2025. THE HEDGEROW PLANTING IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE PERMANENT POLLINATOR NESTING AND FORAGE HABITAT, AS WELL AS INTEGRATIVE PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM) SERVICES TO THE ORCHARD. THE HEDGEROW SPECIES SELECTED WILL PROVIDE A DIVERSITY OF PLANT SPECIES ACROSS SPRING, SUMMER, AND FALL. ALL SPECIES, ASIDE FROM ONE (ENGLISH LAVENDER), ARE NATIVE TO THE LOCATION THEY WILL BE PLANTED. THE FOLLOWING SPECIES INCLUDED IN THE HEDGEROW MIX ARE: GOLDEN CURRANT, HOARY ASTER, OCEAN SPRAY, GOLDENROD, FERN BUSH, ENGLISH LAVENDER, WILD WOODS ROSE, HARDBACK SPIREA, SNOW BUCKWHEAT, COMMON SNOWBERRY, YARROW, AND BLUE ELDERBERRY. THIS SITE ALSO SERVES AS AN EDUCATION AND AWARENESS RESOURCE AND LOCATION.- ABBEY ROAD FARM (OREGON) COMPLETED HABITAT INSTALLATION IN MARCH, INTRODUCING SPECIES SUCH AS BLACK HAWTHORN, BITTER CHERRY, AND SNOWBERRY TO COMPLEMENT EXISTING BLOOMS. THE 24,150 SQ FT HEDGEROW ENHANCES MID-SEASON BLOOMS AND PROVIDES IPM SUPPORT.- FLIP FLOP FARM (CALIFORNIA) HAS COMPLETED THE FIRST PHASE OF PLANTING, COVERING 4,915 SQ FT, WITH SPECIES LIKE YELLOW BUSH LUPINE AND HUMMINGBIRD SAGE CHOSEN FOR SEASONAL BLOOM DIVERSITY. ANOTHER 18,800 SQ FT IS PREPARED FOR THE FALL PHASE.- ROSE COTTAGE LLC (IDAHO) DEDICATED 17 ACRES TO POLLINATOR HABITAT USING A DIVERSE SEED MIX AIMED AT SOIL HEALTH AND POLLINATOR FORAGE, WITH AN ADDITIONAL 50 ACRES FUNDED BY THE RECIPIENT. PLANTINGS CONTRIBUTE BOTH TO SOIL ENRICHMENT AND SEASONAL FLORAL RESOURCES.- SENGLE'S MOUNTAINHOME BLUEBERRY FARM (PENNSYLVANIA) PREPARED 2,200 SQ FT FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF SEASONAL PLANTS LIKE CALIFORNIA POPPY AND BLACKEYED SUSAN, BALANCING POLLINATOR BENEFITS WITH SOIL HEALTH.- HALBRENDT WINERY (PENNSYLVANIA) DEDICATED 2.5 ACRES TO SEASONAL BLOOMS, ATTRACTING A VARIETY OF POLLINATORS AND ENHANCING LOCAL BIODIVERSITY. THE GROWER NOTES BOTH SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES WITH COMPANION PLANTING TECHNIQUES, WHICH WILL INFORM NEXT YEAR'S STRATEGIES.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $36.8K

  • Bee Research and Education

    2. RESEARCH AND EDUCATION:OBJECTIVE:DRIVE SPECIFIC AND RELEVANT RESEARCH IN PROMOTION OF BEE AND COLONY HEALTH.ACCOMPLISHMENTS:- FUNDED RESEARCH THROUGH OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY APICULTUREDEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE (THE OSU HONEY BEE LAB)- SUPPORTED (PARTIAL) ONE POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHER, TWO GRADUATE STUDENTS AND 4-8 UNDERGRADUATES WITHIN THIS DEPARTMENT.- SAVED OREGON BEEKEEPERS APPROXIMATELY $5 MILLION DUE TO (15%) DECREASE IN COLONY LOSS WHEN FOLLOWING NEW RESEARCH ON FEED RECOMMENDATIONS. IN 2024 WE CONTINUED TO SUPPORT OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY APICULTUREDEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE (THE OSU HONEY BEE LAB) IN SUPPORT OF CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH. THIS RESEARCH TO "UNDERSTAND AND IMPROVE BEE NUTRITION TO MITIGATE BEE POPULATION DECLINES" FOCUSES ON THREE SPECIFIC AREAS:1. DEVELOPING POLLEN NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION DATA BASE FOR POLLINATOR HABITAT DEVELOPMENT: THIS RESEARCH PROJECT AIMS TO IMPROVE BEE NUTRITION BY BUILDING A POLLEN NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION DATA BASE AND UNDERSTANDING MICRONUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS OF BEES. THIS IS A UNIQUE AND FIRST-OF-ITS KIND COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION FOR IMPORTANT NORTH AMERICAN PLANTS VISITED BY BEES, WHICH WILL SIGNIFICANTLY BENEFIT THE BEEKEEPING INDUSTRY AND NATIVE BEES.2. INVESTIGATING VALUE OF ARTIFICIAL PROTEIN DIETS IN PROMOTING BEE HEALTH: PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS ARE USED BY BEEKEEPERS TO FEED HONEY BEE COLONIES DURING FORAGING DEARTH AND ARE A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT. THERE IS STILL GAP IN UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE OF PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS IN IMPROVING COLONY GROWTH AND SURVIVAL. EXPERIMENTS ARE BEING CONDUCTED BY THE OSU HONEY BEE LAB TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS ON HONEY BEE PHYSIOLOGY AND OVERWINTERING SUCCESS. FIELD EXPERIMENTS WERE ALSO CONDUCTED TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS ON COLONY GROWTH AND SURVIVAL. BASED ON THE RESEARCH FINDINGS, BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES WERE FORMULATED AND DISSEMINATED TO BEEKEEPERS. OREGON BEEKEEPERS THAT FOLLOWED THESE FEEDING RECOMMENDATIONS REPORTED ABOUT A 15% DECREASE IN COLONY LOSS. THIS TRANSLATES TO APPROXIMATELY $5 MILLION SAVINGS ANNUALLY TO OREGON BEEKEEPERS.IN 2024 SAVE THE BEE PROGRAM FUNDING CONTINUED TO SUPPORT THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF POST-DOCTORAL, GRADUATE, AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS INTERESTED IN BEE RESEARCH AND PROMOTING BEE HEALTH. IN ADDITION TO EDUCATION PROGRAM SUPPORT SAVE THE BEE PARTNERED IN THE DONATION OF AN AUTOCLAVED AERATED CONCRETE BEEHIVE TO THE OREGON STATE BEE LAB TEACHING AND RESEARCH APIARY. THIS INNOVATIVE HIVE IS CURRENTLY BEING USED AS A RESEARCH PLATFORM TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF NEW MATERIALS TO IMPROVE INSULATION, MOISTURE CONTROL, AND PEST RESISTANCE. 3. UNDERSTANDING THE MICRONUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS OF BEES: MICRONUTRIENTS ARE CRITICAL FOR DEVELOPMENT AND SURVIVAL OF BEES. THE OSU HONEY BEE LAB IS EXAMINING THE REQUIREMENTS AND ROLES OF PHYTOSTEROLS, OMEGA 3 AND 6 FATTY ACIDS, ELEMENTS, MINERALS AND OTHER METABOLITES.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $40.5K

  • Bee Awareness and Outreach

    3. AWARENESS, OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS:OBJECTIVE:BUILD AWARENESS OF THE CRITICAL ROLE BEES PLAY IN OUR FOOD SECURITY RE-FOCUSING THE NARRATIVE AWAY FROM JUST "HONEY AND TOWARDS A MORE WHOLISTIC AND ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BEES ON OUR ENVIRONMENT AND WITHIN OUR FOOD SYSTEMS.ACCOMPLISHMENTS:- THROUGH OUR SAVE THE BEE LICENSING PROGRAM WORKED WITH APPROXIMATELY 15 EXISTING OR NEW PARTNERS ACROSS INDUSTRY, ACADEMIA AND THE NON-PROFIT SECTOR.- REACHED AN (ESTIMATED) 750,000 PEOPLE BUILDING AWARENESS AND ADVOCACY TO OUR MISSION AND THE CRITICAL ROLE OF BEES TO OUR ENVIRONMENT AND OUR FOOD SECURITY.MOVING BEYOND "BEES = HONEY." BEES ARE CRUCIAL TO OUR SURVIVAL AND SPECIFICALLY OUR FOOD SECURITY. A KEYSTONE SPECIES, BEES POLLINATE 75% OF THE FRUITS, NUTS, AND VEGETABLES THAT KEEP US HEALTHY. BEES ENABLE FORAGE FOR OUR LIVESTOCK, FIBER FOR OUR CLOTHING, AND OF COURSE, HONEY! AND YET, THIS PRIMARY ROLE IN POLLINATION AND CRITICAL ROLE IN MAINTENANCE OF HEALTHY ECO-SYSTEMS - RIGHT ALONGSIDE CLEAN WATER, CLEAN AIR, GOOD NUTRIENT RICH SOIL AND EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT - IS UNDER-VALUED AND OFTEN NOT WIDELY UNDERSTOOD OR ACKNOWLEDGED. IN 2024 THROUGH OUR SAVE THE BEE LICENSING PROGRAM WE WORKED APPROXIMATELY 15 EXISTING OR NEW PARTNERS. THESE PARTNERSHIPS AND OUR ONLINE AND OFFLINE ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS REACHED AN ESTIMATED 750,000 PEOPLE BUILDING AWARENESS AND ADVOCACY TO OUR MISSION AND THE CRITICAL ROLE OF BEES TO OUR ENVIRONMENT AND OUR FOOD SECURITY.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $45.5K