Bee Health Collective

10/01/2026

Honey bee health matters far beyond the hive. A new story from KIRO 7 News in Seattle highlights the continued challenges facing beekeepers and the potential ripple effects for agriculture, food production, and consumers.

Preliminary results from the 2025–2026 U.S. Beekeeping Survey show that beekeepers lost an estimated 39.9% of their managed honey bee colonies over the past year. While losses were lower than the previous two years, they remain a significant challenge for beekeeping operations across the country.

As Project Apis m. Executive Director Danielle Downey explains, these losses can have consequences throughout the agricultural system. When there aren’t enough healthy colonies available for pollination, growers may face challenges securing the bees they need, and that can ultimately affect crop production and costs.

See the full story from KIRO 7 News: https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/experts-warn-bee-colony-decline-economic-impacts/UZ5IO54MLVDF3EENQMOUJZPDGM/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

09/24/2026

🐝 Celebrating the 2027 AAPA Award Recipients! 🐝

Project Apis m. is proud to support the American Association of Professional Apiculturists (AAPA) Awards and congratulate this year’s outstanding recipients!

🏆 Travel Award: Brandon Shannon PostDoc at Auburn University, Jessica Hodgkins PhD at Michigan State University, and Claudia Roller MS at NC State University
🏆 Exceptional Student Award: Jennifer Standley at Auburn University
🏆 Extension Award: Briana Price at Washington State University

These awards recognize individuals making meaningful contributions to apiculture through research, education, extension, and professional development. Through our Bee Health Collective, Project Apis m. is proud to support these efforts alongside the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA), helping advance bee health programs and foster the next generation of leaders in apicultural research.

09/16/2026

🐝 Put your leadership to work for honey bee health!

Project Apis m. (PAm) is seeking accomplished, visionary leaders to join our Board of Directors.

This is an opportunity for business and community leaders to apply their expertise, networks, and strategic perspective to a mission with direct implications for agricultural sustainability, food security, and the future of pollination.

As a governing board member, you will help provide:

⭐ Strategic leadership to advance PAm’s mission and long-term impact

⭐ Financial oversight and accountability to ensure responsible stewardship of resources

⭐ Industry advocacy and relationship-building across agriculture, beekeeping, science, and business

⭐ Vision and guidance to accelerate solutions that strengthen honey bee health and vitality

PAm’s mission and that of its sister nonprofit, Bee Health Collective (BHC), is to fund research and efforts to improve honey bee health and vitality. The two entities aim to bridge the gap between beekeepers, growers, and scientists to ensure sustainable agriculture and pollination security. We are looking for leaders to be involved in shaping the future of PAm and BHC.

If you bring strategic, financial, agricultural, scientific, business, or community leadership experience; and want to make a measurable difference in the resilience of our food and agricultural systems, we invite you to consider joining the PAm Board of Directors. To learn more and find out how to apply, go to our website: https://www.projectapism.org/apply-board

09/01/2026

🐝 Give back to the bees that feed us!

Project Apis m. (PAm) is seeking accomplished, visionary leaders to join our Board of Directors.

This is an opportunity for business and community leaders to apply their expertise, networks, and strategic perspective to a mission with direct implications for agricultural sustainability, food security, and the future of pollination.

As a governing board member, you will help provide:

⭐ Strategic leadership to advance PAm’s mission and long-term impact

⭐ Financial oversight and accountability to ensure responsible stewardship of resources

⭐ Industry advocacy and relationship-building across agriculture, beekeeping, science, and business

⭐ Vision and guidance to accelerate solutions that strengthen honey bee health and vitality

PAm’s mission and that of its sister nonprofit, Bee Health Collective (BHC), is to fund research and efforts to improve honey bee health and vitality. The two entities aim to bridge the gap between beekeepers, growers, and scientists to ensure sustainable agriculture and pollination security. We are looking for leaders to be involved in shaping the future of PAm and BHC.

If you bring strategic, financial, agricultural, scientific, business, or community leadership experience; and want to make a measurable difference in the resilience of our food and agricultural systems, we invite you to consider joining the PAm Board of Directors. To learn more and find out how to apply, go to our website: https://www.projectapism.org/apply-board

08/31/2026

🐝🍯🚨 Now Accepting Research Proposals! 🚨🍯🐝

Project Apis m. (PAm) is pleased to announce a new Request for Proposals in collaboration with the National Honey Board. We are seeking research projects that advance practical strategies to improve honey bee colony health, increase productivity, and boost honey production.

Funding priority will be given to projects that demonstrate clear, measurable benefits for commercial beekeepers and quantify expected gains in honey production. Areas of interest include honey production, Varroa management, nutrition and forage, pesticide mitigation, queen health, and emerging industry challenges.

Applications are due October 5, 2026, and selected proposals will be reviewed by the PAm Scientific Advisory Committee and Board of Directors.

Let's work together to advance science-driven solutions for healthier bees and a stronger beekeeping industry. Learn more and apply here: https://www.projectapism.org/apply-for-funding?utm_source=fb_page&utm_medium=Project+Apis+m.&utm_campaign=publer

08/19/2026

🐝 There’s a new Varroa treatment option for California beekeepers 🐝

With assistance from the Bee Health Regulatory Consortium (BHRC), Api-Bioxal (oxalic acid dihydrate) was recently approved for use in California. This state registration marks an encouraging step toward expanding the tools available to beekeepers for managing Varroa and protecting colony health.

Launched earlier this year, BHRC is an initiative of Project Apis m. and the Bee Health Collective that aims to bring together regulatory expertise, collaboration, and industry cost-sharing to help promising bee health products move more efficiently toward registration and commercialization.

California State Beekeepers Association (CSBA) has been a strong partner of BHRC, both through its investments and coordination to best navigate promising bee health products successfully through the regulatory process.

Expanding access to effective Varroa treatments is a foremost priority in supporting the health of bees in California, with both BHRC and CSBA leadership working with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) to emphasize the urgent need for additional treatment options. The Api-Bioxal approval is an encouraging example of what progress can look like when organizations work together to achieve a shared goal.

By advocating for access and investing in regulatory solutions, CSBA is working to help California beekeepers build a broader, more effective toolbox for managing Varroa.

Learn more about BHRC by watching Izzy’s webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjm0-i0F-Ms&utm_source=fb_page&utm_medium=Project+Apis+m.&utm_campaign=publer

08/15/2026

Happy World Honey Bee Day! World Honey Bee Day started in the United States in 2009 as "National Honey Bee Day". Beekeepers and associations petitioned the USDA and secured an official proclamation from the Secretary of Agriculture to honor honey bees and the practice of beekeeping. It quickly grew into an international observance held every third Saturday of August.

Whether you’re a beekeeper, grow plants for pollinators, support bees through your business, produce honey, conduct research, shape policy, tell stories, or love the bountiful fresh foods brought to us by honey bee pollination, we’re grateful for what you do!

We welcome everyone to join our network at Bee Health Collective and learn more about supporting research for honey bee health at https://www.projectapism.org/

08/07/2026

08/06/2026

Project Apis m. and Bee Health Collective are proud to honor Dr. Jay Evans as one of our Honey Bee MVPs this year!

Jay Evans has been a Research Scientist at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) at the USDA since 1998. He pushes the needle towards better honey bee survival through genomic research on honey bees and their pests. Jay’s optimism, diplomacy, and leadership have been instrumental in steering through crises and building capacity across the industry. He takes the greatest pride in mentoring students and professionals who have gone on to make significant contributions to the field, alongside leading his own impactful research.

Out of many projects he has worked on, he was a leader of the Honey Bee Genome Project that helped develop genetic insights into bee breeding and disease diagnostics. Thank you Jay for all you have done for bees and the networks that support them!

Learn more about Jay’s story, his love of bees and building a better future for them in this Q&A he did with PAm: https://www.projectapism.org/pam-blog/mvp-jay-evans

07/17/2026

Cover crops can be a valuable food source for honey bees and pollinators. Russ Heitkam, a beekeeper, explains in this interview excerpt: