RD153 - Two-Year Report on the Progress Toward the Recommendations of the Study of the Plight of Virginia’s Beekeepers


Executive Summary:
Funds provided by the General Assembly to Virginia Tech through Cooperative Extension have been used to implement the recommendations contained in the Study of the Plight of Virginia Beekeepers (Virginia Senate Document Number 20). Four initiatives were identified in the document and recommended for funding; the development of a pest management program for colony management, the development of a queen breeding program, the development of an Africanized honey bee response program, and the development of a pollination program. Significant progress has been made in each of the four areas during the two years, including the identification and characterization of a new disease problem (Nosema ceranae), the establishment of 5 teaching research apiaries, the development of a queen production program that has provided training for 198 beekeepers, the initiation of an Africanized honey bee survey and response program, and the study of pollination needs in 6 different cropping systems. Program development and implementation has been a collaborative effort of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University/Virginia Cooperative Extension (VT) and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). Continuation of the programs will be dependent on continued funding.