How are the Bees Doing? Bee Health & the threats they face

Maybe you have heard of the "insect apocalypse"? All over the world, studies have found that insects are declining in numbers and species diversity. Insects have many crucial ecological functions, but one that affects people most directly is pollination . Bees are the most important pollinators of crop plants, and our natural populations of wild bees do most of the work, with honey bees as an important supplement. In this talk, Dr. Stoner will talk about the many threats to wild bees as well as honey bees, including parasites and pathogens, pesticides, loss of habitat, and climate change, and what we can do to help.

Kimberly A. Stoner joined the CT Agriculture Experiment Station in 1987, after receiving her PhD in entomology from Cornell University, and spending a year on a fellowship with the Africa Bureau of the US Agency for International Development. She is currently studying bee diversity in CT , pollination of pumpkins and squash and how bees are exposed to pesticides. She works with people across CT, including farmers, beekeepers, and community groups, in creating habitat for pollinators.