August 19th is National Honey Bee Day: Dr. Elina Niño reminds us to help honey bees cope with pests

National Honey Bee Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of every August. This year it falls on Saturday the 19^th. If you use integrated pest management, or IPM, you are probably aware that it can solve pest problems and reduce the use of pesticides that harm beneficial insects, including honey bees. But did you know that it is also used to manage pests that live inside honey bee colonies? In this timely podcast below, Elina Niño, UC Cooperative Extension apiculture extension specialist, discusses the most serious pests of honey bees, how beekeepers manage them to keep their colonies alive, and what you can do to help bees survive these challenges.

https://soundcloud.com/ucipm/help-honey-bees-cope-with-pests

To read the full transcript of the audio, click here.

Successful IPM in honey bee colonies involves understanding honey bee pest biology, regularly monitoring for pests, and using a combination of different methods to control their damage.

Visit the following resources for more information

For beekeepers:

• The California Master Beekeeper Program
• EL Niño Bee Lab Courses
• EL Niño Bee Lab Newsletter

For all bee lovers:

• EL Niño Bee Lab Newsletter
• Haagen Dazs Honey Bee Haven plant list
• UC IPM Bee Precaution Pesticide Ratings and video tutorial

Sources on the value of honey bees:

• Calderone N. 2012. Insect-pollinated crops, Insect Pollinators and US Agriculture: Trend Analysis of Aggregate Data for the Period 1992–2009.
• Flottum K. 2017. U.S. Honey Industry Report, 2016.

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