Protecting Honey Bees in Production Agriculture

A MODULE FOR CROP CONSULTANTS, ADVISORS AND APPLICATORS

Agriculture relies on honey bees to pollinate approximately 1/3 of food served up on tables across America every day, including a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Honey bee and pollinator health is in decline for a variety of reasons and this has the potential to effect food prices and availability. Bees are impacted by a lack of nutrition and forage, attacked by parasites and disease, and are impacted from unintentional exposure to crop protection products.

The National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC), in partnership with the Honey Bee Health Coalition, has developed an education module targeted specifically for pesticide applicators, advisors and crop consultants. The hour-long module, provided for free, engages the audience with information on:

  • The importance of honeybees to crop production and the challenges beekeepers face
  • Risk and the consequences of unintended exposures to honey bees
  • How everyone can help positively impact bees and the agricultural landscapes that rely on them.

The module can be found below. Please take a look and encourage your local extension office or state recertification agency to provide the module at their next event.