"Honey bee guru" Eric Mussen, an internationally known bee expert and Extension apiculturist who retired in June 2014, continues to be active. He served 38 years as an Extension apiculturist, headquartered in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. Although officially retired, he continues working out of his office in Briggs Hall.

During his academic career, he conducted a varied program focused mainly on his role as liaison between the academic world of apiculture and real world beekeeping and crop pollination. Mussen continues to provide provides presentations at national, state, and county beekeepers' meetings. He continues to prepare and delivers information to growers at meetings organized by UC Farm Advisors and other agricultural organizations, and by state and federal agencies, and he writes a bi-monthly newsletter on bee-related topics, which is posted on his Departmental Web page.

Recently, specific researchers have solicited Eric's involvement on their projects, and he has studied the effects of contact and feeding exposure of honey bees to a mating disruption pheromone of the light brown apple moth. Currently, Eric is collecting flight data, dead and live foragers, and pollen samples for a national study on colony health as it relates to specific cropping practices while the colonies are in commercial pollination.

Eric Mussen writes a newsletter "from the UC Apiaries" and "Bee Briefs." They are located on his website and can be downloaded for free.

Related Links:

Eric Mussen Featured in Two-Part Series in American Bee Journal

Eric Mussen Honored at California State Beekeepers' Association 

Eric Mussen Receives UC ANR Distinguished Service Award  

Special Award from his Alma Mater   

Bee Team Wins ESA Award  

Tribute and One Tribulation  

Pedro Illic Award

 

Contact:
Eric Mussen
Extension Apiculturist
Email: ecmussen@ucdavis.edu
Phone: (530) 752-0472