by Stephen Barrett

New Pollinator Habitat in East Dayton

      Yesterday, we visited Mission of Mary Cooperative.  MMC is an urban farming cooperative in the Twin Towers neighborhood of East Dayton.  Through a grant from the Levin Family Foundation, and under the guidance of Dwight Wells (a Propolis Projects partner), Mission of Mary has created a beautiful new pollinator garden and bee habitat in East Dayton. To learn more about the amazing work Mission of Mary is doing on the East Side, visit their website.  Interested in installing a pollinator garden at your nonprofit?  Visit the grant page on the Levin Family…

by Stephen Barrett

WPAFB Receives “Bee City USA” Designation

Wright Patterson Air Force Base received the "Bee City USA" designation yesterday. WPAFB is the 48th "Bee City" in the US, and the first military installation to be given this designation. Propolis Projects founder Karen Levin, is pictured above with her son on base. To learn more about the event, read this Dayton Daily News article. To learn how your city or campus can become a "Bee City", and just what being a Bee City is all about, visit their website.

by Stephen Barrett

No More Guessing

No more guessing (Click here to view original article) by Dwight Wells Modern agriculture of all types of uses data obtained from sophisticated technology year round to augment traditional practices and increase their success. Now, beekeepers finally have technology available to assist in their beekeeping practices as they work to sustain the bee population. The BroodMinder weight, temperature, and humidity sensors enable beekeepers to make decisions to help them act to keep their honey bee colonies healthy, productive, and alive. Beginning in October of 2016, several members of the West Central Ohio Beekeepers Association installed…

by Stephen Barrett

37 Million Bees Found Dead After Planting Large GMO Corn Field Treated with Neonicotinoid Class of Pesticides

37 Million Bees Found Dead After Planting Large GMO Corn Field Treated with Neonicotinoid Class of Pesticides Originally Posted By Green Food Magazine on March 22, 2016 Millions of bees dropped dead after GMO corn was planted few weeks ago in Ontario, Canada. The local bee keeper, Dave Schuit who produces honey in Elmwood lost about 37 million bees which are about 600 hives. “Once the corn started to get planted our bees died by the millions,” Schuit said. While many bee keepers blame neonicotinoids, or “neonics.” for colony collapse of bees and many countries…

by Propolis Projects

The Varroa Mite Parasite

The most serious pest of modern beekeeping is Varroa destructor, an Asian mite that jumped from the eastern hive bee Apis cerana to the western bee Apis mellifera when commercial beekeeping brought the two bee species into contact. The mite causes severe winter losses in heavily infected bee yards. Here, a mite rides on the abdomen of a worker bee. Check out more great photos of bees and other insects by Alexander Wild.

by Propolis Projects

Why are honeybees so important and what is happening to them?

National Honeybee Day is today: August 22, 2015. Today is a day to celebrate our behind-the-scenes friends: the honeybees. You may see them as a nuisance or be fearful of them, but if you've spoken to any of your environmentalist friends or read up on environmental news, you most likely have heard about the plight of honeybees. Do you know why they are so important? You may be relying on them more than you think. These tiny workers are responsible for many of the foods in your fridge and on your plate - vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices…

by Propolis Projects

June 15 to June 2, 2015 is Pollinator Week!

June 15 to June 21 is Pollinator Week, a nationally-recognized week to raise awareness of the important role of bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and other pollinators in ecology and food production. This week was initiated by the Pollinator Partnership, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and the largest in the world dedicated exclusively to the protection and promotion of pollinators and their ecosystems. Read more about the Pollinator Partnership here. There are plenty of ways to learn about the importance of this week and to get involved through your community and online. Visit the Pollinator Week page to learn more.