- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The Deep Look crew filmed the footage of the varroa mites with the assistance of Niño and Joseph Tauzer, manager of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, Bee Biology Road. Other segments of the production were filmed elsewhere.
The video was publicly released Oct. 24.
"They really did a great job, just like with the one on bee bread also done in my lab a few years back (2019)," said Niño, who also is the founder and director of the California Master Beekeeper Program. (See "Honey Bees Make Honey...and Bread?")
Varroa mites (Varroa destructor), natives of Asia, are external parasitic mites that feed on and weaken honey bees. They can spread such viruses as the deformed wing virus.
Beekeepers typically describe varroa mites as "Public Enemy No. 1" or as "A Beekeeper's Worst Enemy." In the Deep Look video, host Laura Klivans comments: "Every year, up to half the managed honeybee hives in the United States die from hazards like pesticide exposure, lack of flowers to forage on year-round, and varroa mites...varroa mites are great at sneaking into hives, hiding, and reproducing like mad."
Varroa mites reproduce only in a bee colony. The mites are small--measuring about 1–1.8 mm long and 1.5–2 mm wide--but they are huge to a bee. "It's as if you were carrying around a tick the size of a dinner plate," Klivans says.
Scientists first detected varroa mites in the United States in the 1980s. "They evolved on eastern honeybees, in Asia," Klivans notes. "That's why the western honeybees in the Americas and Europe aren't yet good at defending against them."
Research is underway to breed bees that will better target the mites. "The U.S. Department of Agriculture and private companies are breeding bees that can sniff out varroa mites," according to Deep Look. "When the bees find some, they uncap the cells and interrupt reproduction."
The video also focuses on "the sugar shake," a procedure used to monitor and estimate the number of varroa mites in a bee colony. It involves adding a half of a cup of bees (about 300) from the brood comb to a jar with a mesh lid, dropping in two tablespoons of confectioners' sugar, shaking the jar for 30 seconds to dislodge the mites, and emptying the contents on a tray. The beekeepers then count the number of varroa mites, estimate the severity of infestation, and decide what needs to be done.
Deep Look humorously describes the sugar-coated mites as "frosted varroa mites."
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture and private companies are breeding bees that can sniff out varroa mites," Klivans tells viewers. "When the bees find some, they uncap the cells and interrupt reproduction." Through queen bee insemination, scientists at Purdue and Central State universities are breeding honeybees known as “mite-biters." (See news story)
In addition to Niño and Tauzer, researchers consulted included Adam Finkelstein, VP Queen Bees; Krispn Given, Purdue Universities; Cameron Jack, University of Florida; Jeff Harris, Mississippi State University; Hongmei Li-Byarlay, Central State University; Samuel Ramsey, University of Colorado, Boulder; and Frank Rinkevich, USDA.
Credits include Deep Look producer/writer Gabriela Quirós; cinematographer Josh Cassidy; narrator/writer Laura Klivans; original music Seth Samuel; and editors/motion graphics Gabriela Quirós and Kia Simon.
In 2007, Deep Look filmed bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey (now of Washington State University) inseminating bee queens in the Laidlaw lab. At the time, Cobey managed the Laidlaw facility. Also in the video, the late Eric Mussen (1944-2022), Extension apiculturist and member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology faculty, discusses colony collapse disorder.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
For "outstanding achievements and notable contributions in disseminating science-based beekeeping information since 2016,” the UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP) won a 2023 UC Davis Staff Assembly “Citation of Excellence” and praise from Chancellor Gary May.
CAMBP director and founder Elina Lastro Niño, associate professor of Cooperative Extension and a member of UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology faculty, and co-program manager Wendy Mather share the Faculty-Staff Partnership Award.
Niño, UC Extension apiculturist since 2014, founded CAMBP in 2016. Mather joined the program in March of 2018. Also integral to the program is Kian Nikzad, but as a newer employee, was ineligible to be nominated.
The awards ceremony, held Sept. 12 in the International Center on campus, singled out “some of our most exceptional UC Davis individuals and teams,” Chancellor May said in his presentation.
Nikzad accepted the award on behalf of Niño, who was participating in Apimondia in Santiago, Chile, conferring with colleagues at the UC Davis Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center, a part of UC Davis Global Affairs. She was assisting them in developing a sustainable and environmentally friendly science-based beekeeping program to support the success of farmers and beekeepers at all economic levels.
“I truly appreciate everything you do on a daily basis to make UC Davis a wonderful place,” the chancellor said. “You are the heart of UC Davis and I'm grateful for your dedication and hard work...you “contribute to our university's success and make UC Davis a more enjoyable, creative, inclusive and invigorating place to work.”
Nomination. Nominators of "The Bee Team" lauded Niño and Mather for providing a “program of learning, teaching, research, and public service, goes above and beyond in delivering comprehensive, science-based information about honey bees and honey bee health. They continually and consistently develop, improve, and refine their statewide curriculum that educates stewards in a train-the-trainer program to disseminate accurate, timely, and crucial information. Honey bees pollinate more than 30 California crops, including almonds, a $5 billion industry (no bees, no pollination, no almonds). Indeed, California produces more than a third of our country's vegetables and three-quarters of our fruits and nuts. However, colony losses are alarming due to pesticides, pests, predators and pathogens.”
As of Sept. 15, 2023, CAMBP has donated 34,000 hours of volunteer time and served 209,000 individuals in education, outreach and beekeeping mentorship. If a volunteer hour were to be calculated at $26.87, CAMBP has given $913,580 back to California in service of science-based beekeeping and honey bee health.
Scholarships. “No money?” wrote the nominators (Kathy Keatley Garvey, Nora Orozco and Tabatha Yang from the Department of Entomology and Nematology). “No problem. (CAMBP) has donated 12 scholarships, worth $250 each; helped novices who can't afford mentoring or equipment by linking them with veteran beekeepers; and is engaging in free bee removals--rescuing and relocating bees.”
Over the past year, CAMBP has developed and expanded its educational materials. This includes launching an asynchronous online course and in-person preparatory programs with its partners. It is updating safety materials and developing an Epinephrine auto-injector/CPR course, geared toward “everyone from 4-H beekeepers to novice beekeepers to the general public,” the nominators wrote.
CAMBP also teaches “schoolchildren about bees at specially guided garden tours at UC Davis, inspiring them “to care for the bees and plant nectar and pollen resources.”
Its website, accessible to the public, offers a list of classes and knowledge-based information, including backyard beekeeping, bees in the neighborhood, bees and beekeeping regulations, defensive bees, live honey bee removals, and protecting pollinators.
“Bottom line,” the nominators concluded, “our ‘B' Team is really an ‘A' Team, an outstanding example of UC Davis teaching, research and service; a team providing exemplary service and contributions; and a team that creates and maintains high morale and embodies the Principles of Community.”
Joint Statement. In a joint statement following the awards ceremony, Mather and Nikzad said: “We share this award with our passionate and caring member volunteers. Our members are deeply committed to honey bee health, science-based beekeeping practices, and, most importantly, to each other. Their enthusiasm and dedication drive our mission forward. We wish to acknowledge Elina Niño for her visionary leadership; she has brought together various stakeholders, including growers, bee breeders, commercial, sideline, and hobbyist beekeepers, as well as the general public, through CAMBP, UC Davis, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) and UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE). We missed having her at the ceremony.”
At the Staff Assembly ceremony, one other team received a Faculty-Staff Partnership Award Excellence Award: the Graduate Mentoring Initiative, comprised of Ambarish Kulkarni, faculty, Department of Chemical Engineering; Pamela Lein, faculty, Department of Molecular Bioscience; and Elizabeth Sturdy, staff, director of the Mentoring and Academic Success Initiative, Graduate Studies.
Serving as co-chairs of the 2023 Citations of Excellence Committee were Darolyn Striley, manager of the Office of Student Development, School of Medicine, and Mary Carrillo, business operations manager, Languages and Literatures.
Staff Assembly sponsors the annual Citations of Excellence awards program to provide recognition for UC Davis and UC Davis Health individual staff and staff teams “who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in one of the following areas: teaching, research, service, innovation, supervision, mentorship, team awards and faculty/staff partnership award.”
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Honored are the duo of CAMBP director Elina Lastro Niño, associate professor of Cooperative Extension and a member of the faculty of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and co-program manager Wendy Mather, staff. Niño founded CAMBP in 2016.
They will receive the award from Chancellor Gary May at a fall reception.
"The award seeks to highlight teams who actively develop and encourage faculty/staff partnerships and as a result are able to make notable contributions to UC Davis that contribute to the University's Mission of Teaching, Research, and Service; and who exemplify outstanding achievement and/or service," according to Staff Assembly officials.
Since 2016, CAMBP has:
- Given 32,000 hours of volunteer time (Beneficial Educational Experiences) and served 186,630 individuals in education, outreach and beekeeping mentorship. If a volunteer hour is worth $26.87, the program has given $859,840 back to the state of California in service of science-based beekeeping and honey bee health.
- Enrolled 185 Honey Bee Ambassadors (a level established in 2021), 494 Apprentice, 93 Journey level candidates and certified 20 Master level beekeepers. There are 12 members in 2023 participating in their Master Capstone projects.
- Since the team began tracking Continuing Education Experiences in 2020, they're recorded 3752 hours
- They're also working on updating a safety manual.
Thanks to generous support from the Office of the Chancellor, Staff Assembly will award the staff winners with a total of some $17,000. Niño is one of three faculty recognized. (See list)
Niño and Mather are being honored as "The Bee Team."
Elina Niño, in addition to being the Extension apiculturist for the state of California, a member of the entomology-nematology faculty, director of CAMBP, and a honey bee researcher, serves as the faculty director of the UC Davis Bee Haven, a half-acre bee garden on Bee Biology Road.
"My primary responsibilities are in providing professional support and education to California's beekeepers, growers, pesticide applicators, and other stakeholder groups," she writes on the CAMBP website. "I teach numerous beginner, intermediate and advanced beekeeping workshops, the culmination of which has resulted in the establishment of the first ever California Master Beekeeper Program serving beekeepers of California and neighboring states. I am also currently working on the development of apiculture education for veterinarians in collaboration with the Western Institute of Food Safety and Security (WIFFS). In addition to teaching formal workshops I serve on various commodity boards as a research liaison and adviser allowing me to directly impact California Agriculture. (See more)
Wendy Mather, a beekeeper since 2007, says she enjoys sharing her passion for bees, education, environmental stewardship and program design with the CAMBP. She achieved her Journey Level Beekeeper certification from the University of Montana in 2015. She owned and operated Hardscrabble Honey, self-described as "a modest sideline operation in central Ontario which averaged 1000 kgs of clean wildflower honey each year." She also worked as the Honey Bee Health tech representative for NOD Apiary Products in Canada and the United States.
As a social service worker and adult educator, Mather taught community development, program design and portfolio development at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario. (Kian Nikzad serves as the co-program manager of CAMBP but as a new employee, was ineligible to be nominated.)
Citations of Excellence
UC Davis Staff Assembly's annual Citations of Excellence awards program provides recognition for UC Davis and UC Davis Health individual staff and staff teams, who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in one of the following areas: teaching, research, service, innovation, supervision, mentorship, team awards and faculty/staff partnership award.
The Faculty/Staff Partnership Award is meant for those who "go above and beyond the minimum requirements of their positions," according to Staff Assembly officials. "This award is intended for small teams of 2-4 individuals consisting of at least one career staff and one faculty member. Faculty are eligible to be nominated and to win this award, but are not eligible for the monetary prize." The narrative for the Faculty/Staff Partnership Award is limited to 4000 characters (approximately 750 words). Under the rules, nominations are confidential, and names and gender of the nominees and their departments are withheld.
The nominators wrote that the bee team "provides a program of learning, teaching, research, and public service, goes above and beyond in delivering comprehensive, science-based information about honey bees and honey bee health. They continually and consistently develop, improve, and refine their statewide curriculum that educates stewards in a train-the-trainer program to disseminate accurate, timely, and crucial information. Honey bees pollinate more than 30 California crops, including almonds, a $5 billion industry (no bees, no pollination, no almonds). Indeed, California produces more than a third of our country's vegetables and three-quarters of our fruits and nuts. However, colony losses are alarming due to pesticides, pests, predators and pathogens. Since 2016 our team has (1) donated 32,000 hours of volunteer time and served 186,630 individuals in education, outreach and beekeeping mentorship (note that if you calculate a volunteer hour at $26.87, our team has given $859,840 back to California in service of science-based beekeeping and honey bee health and (2) enrolled 185 Bee Ambassadors (a level established in 2021), 494 Apprentice, 93 Journey level candidates and certified 20 Master level beekeepers. Note that of the participants, 75 are current or former UC Davis employees or alumni. Since 2020, our team has recorded 3752 hours in Continuing Education Experiences."
"Our team lengthens their office hours, going above and beyond in helping others (such as “My colony is overwhelmed with varroa mites—what can I do?”) listening to them and resolving issues. At Zoom meetings, phone calls, and office meetings, they praise participants for their questions before responding! “Good question, so glad you asked that!” is commonplace and helps build and maintain high morale. It also exemplifies the values of collaboration and collegiality."
"Their website is a wealth of information, including course offerings and knowledge-based information, including backyard beekeeping, bees in the neighborhood, bees and beekeeping regulations, defensive bees, live honey bee removals, and protecting pollinators. This information is available to the public, not limited to program participants."
"Our team has posted the UC Davis Principles of Community on its website and has added to it. 'We affirm the dignity inherent in all of us, and we strive to maintain a climate of equity and justice demonstrated by respect for one another…We acknowledge that our society carries within it historical and deep-rooted injustices and biases. Therefore, we endeavor to foster mutual understanding and respect among the many parts of our whole.' "
"Bottom line, our 'B' Team is really an 'A' Team, an outstanding example of UC Davis teaching, research and service; a team providing exemplary service and contributions; and a team that creates and maintains high morale and embodies the Principles of Community."
Also recognized for a Faculty-Staff Partnership Award:
Graduate Mentoring Initiative
- Elizabeth Sturdy, director of Mentoring and Academic Success Initiatives, Graduate Studies
- Pamela Lein, professor, Molecular Biosciences
- Ambar Kulkarni, associate professor, Chemical Engineering
Other recipients of Citations of Excellence awards include:
Innovation Award: Faye Perata, director, Residential Operations, Student Housing and Dining Services
Mentorship Award: Mike Waid, technical lead, Information and Educational Technology (IET)
Service Award: Grace Dell'Olio, administrative assistant, Animal Sciences
Supervision Award: Meshell Louderman, chief administration officer, Engineering Computer Science
Teaching Award: Joseph Pacini, curriculum coordinator, Veterinary Medicine: Dean's Office
Team Award: Orientation Team, New Student Academic Services, comprised of:
- Catrina Wagner, director, New Student Academic Services
- Amy Oleynik, Lead Orientation Program coordinator, New Student Academic Services
- Joseph Villegas, Orientation Program coordinator, New Student Academic Services
- Jessica Acuña, Orientation Program coordinator, New Student Academic Services
- Gabe Bellue, Orientation Administrative Assistant, New Student Academic Services
- Lian Boos, director, Center for Student Involvement
Co-chairs of the 2023 Citations of Excellence program are Darolyn Striley, manager, UC Davis School of Medicine Office of Student Development, and Mary Carrillo, business office manager, UC Davis Languages and Literatures. Lauren McDiarmid, chair of Graduate Studies, serves as the 2022-23 chair of Staff Assembly.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
All classes, taught by Haven manager Christine Casey, are offered as either remote ($25 registration) or hybrid remote/in-person ($40 registration). All proceeds support the Haven.
Excerpts from the Bee Haven website:
I Planted a Bee Garden: Now What?
Saturday, April 1, 2023, 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Many California gardeners are removing their water-hungry turf and replacing it with lower-water plants that provide food and habitat for bees and other animals. But if all you know about garden maintenance is how to start the lawnmower, deciding what to plant and learning how to maintain it can be daunting.
Aimed at beginning bee gardeners, this class will cover the basics of turf conversion and weed control along with plant selection for bees and other pollinators. We'll also cover maintenance of a turf yard compared to planted borders.
Registration links: remote class or remote/in-person class.
Advanced Bee Gardening
Saturday, April 22, 2023, 9 to 10:30 am
This class is for experienced gardeners who want to better support bees in their gardens. We'll discuss garden design and plant selection based on bee biology as well as how to encourage insect natural enemies to keep bee gardens pesticide-free. We'll also learn about some of the latest research on bees and gardens and how to incorporate this into your garden. The class will conclude with a tour of the Haven for a hands-on look at plants and bees.
Registration links: remote class or remote/in-person class.
Collecting Bees Through Photos
Saturday, April 1, 2023, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Bees are fascinating animals, and many people are intrigued by the idea of having their own bee collection for closer observation. An effective way to ‘collect' bees without harm is by making a bee photo album. We'll start with an overview of bee anatomy and classification and learn how to distinguish bees from other insects. We'll then look at key features of common bees that can be used to identify them in flight. The class will finish outdoors for hands-on experience observing, identifying, and photographing bees.
Registration links: remote class or remote/in-person class.
The Haven, located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, is open daily at no charge from dawn to dusk.
History of the Bee Garden.
Häagen-Dazs wanted the funds to benefit sustainable pollination research, target colony collapse disorder, and support a postdoctoral researcher. It was decided to install an educational garden, conduct a design contest, and award a research postdoctoral fellowship to Michelle Flenniken (now with the Montana State University).
A Sausalito team--landscape architects Donald Sibbett and Ann F. Baker, interpretative planner Jessica Brainard and exhibit designer Chika Kurotaki--won the design competition. The garden was installed in the fall of 2009 under the direction of interim department chair Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and professor of entomology.
An eight-member panel selected the winner of the design competition: Professor Kimsey; founding garden manager Missy Borel (now Missy Borel Gable), then of the California Center for Urban Horticulture; David Fujino, executive director, California Center for Urban Horticulture at UC Davis; Aaron Majors, construction department manager, Cagwin & Dorward Landscape Contractors, based in Novato; Diane McIntyre, senior public relations manager, Häagen-Dazs ice cream; Heath Schenker, professor of environmental design, UC Davis; Jacob Voit, sustainability manager and construction project manager, Cagwin and Dorward Landscape Contractors; and Kathy Keatley Garvey, communications specialist, UC Davis Department of Entomology.
"The Honey Bee Haven will be a pollinator paradise," Kimsey related in December 2008. "It will provide a much needed, year-round food source for our bees at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. We anticipate it also will be a gathering place to inform and educate the public about bees. We are grateful to Haagen-Dazs for its continued efforts to ensure bee health."
The garden, Kimsey said, would include a seasonal variety of blooming plants that will provide a year-round food source for honey bees. It would be a living laboratory supporting research into the nutritional needs and natural feeding behaviors of honey bees and other insect pollinators.
Visitors to the garden, she said, would able to glean ideas on how to establish their own bee-friendly gardens and help to improve the nutrition of bees in their own backyards.
The timeline:
Feb. 19, 2008
Häagen-Dazs Donation to UC Davis
Dec. 8, 2008
Häagen-Dazs Launches Bee Garden Design Contest
Aug. 6, 2008
Insect Virus Researcher Michelle Flenniken Named Häagen-Dazs Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Davis
Feb. 26, 2009
Sausalito Team Wins Design Competition
Aug. 6, 2009
Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven Site Preparation
Aug. 13, 2009
Bee Biology Website to Be Launched
Aug. 13, 2009
Thinking Outside the Box
Sept. 15, 2009
Campus Buzzway: Wildflowers
Dec. 15, 2009
Bee Biology Website Lauded
2010
June 6, 2010
Grand Opening Celebration of Honey Bee Garden
July 15, 2010
Art Is Where the Community Is; Blending Science with Art in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven
July 30, 2010
More Than 50 Bee Species Found in Haven: Robbin Thorp (Now there's more than 80 and counting!)
Aug. 25, 2010
Donna Billick: Miss Bee Haven
Aug. 11, 2011
What the Signs Tell Us in the UC Davis Honey Bee Garden
Aug. 24, 2011
Royal Visit to Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility
April 11, 2012
Brian Fishback: Spreading the Word about Honey Bees
Aug. 26, 2013
Eagle Scout Project: Fence Around the Bee Garden
Sept. 11 2012
A Fence to Behold
2013
April 25, 2013
UC Davis Bee Team Wins Major Award
Aug. 1, 2013
Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven Place to Be
With photo of founding volunteers
Donors
List of Donors Who Helped Launch the Garden (2009 through July 2014)
Missy Borel, then manager of the California Center for Urban Horticulture (and now Missy Borel Gable, director of the California Master Gardener Program) served as the founding manager, a part-time position. Nineteen volunteers assisted her.
Today the bee garden is the UC Davis Bee Haven. Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, serves as the faculty director of the garden. Christine Casey is the academic program manager. For more information on the garden, access the Bee Haven website or contact beegarden@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Christine Casey, academic program management officer of the Bee Haven, will teach the classes. The $50 registration fee for each class covers a light breakfast and course materials. Proceeds will support the operation of The Haven.
The first class, on "I Planted a Bee Garden," will take place Saturday, Oct. 29 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Bee Haven, located on Bee Biology Road, next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. Topics will cover turf removal and weed control, best bee plants for new gardeners, and turf vs. bee garden maintenance. Enrollment is limited to 25. To register, access
http://registration.ucdavis.edu/Item/Details/870.
The second class, "Pruning the Bee Garden," will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 5. "Bee gardens are all about flowers, and pruning The Haven's plants is an essential part of creating ample flowers for our bees," Casey said. Topics will include pruning techniques and strategies for many plant types; the science and biology of pruning; and practice pruning techniques in The Haven. To register, access
https://registration.ucdavis.edu/Item/Details/871.
UC Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño of the Department of Entomology and Nematology serves the faculty director of the half-acre garden, planted in the fall of 2019 under the direction of interim department chair Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Häagen-Dazs was the primary donor. (See timeline and history of the garden.)
The garden features art projects by the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, co-founded and co-directed by the duo of entomologist/artist Diane Ullman, professor and former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, and self-described "rock artist" Donna Billick of Davis. A 200-pound ceramic-mosaic bee sculpture, Miss Bee Haven by Billick anchors the garden.
The Haven is open daily from dawn to dusk. Admission is free. For more information access the website, Facebook page, Casey's Bee Gardener blog on the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources website, the Instagram account or the Twitter account.