Bees are responsible for pollinating one-third of our food supply. The work that James Wilkes is doing via HiveTracks.com and BeeInformed.com is helping beekeepers around the world monitor their bee population and share best practices for keeping bees healthy. the conference with his father. Another large scale project, involving James in his role as professor, is BeeInformed.org, a collaboration of efforts from leading research labs and universities, including Appalachian State. James was involved in the start-up of this effort, which was supported initially by a $5.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and has transitioned to a non-profit organization to work with beekeepers to better understand how to keep healthier bees. BeeInformed is a survey based service, with data collected on a yearly basis. The data is compiled and analyzed at the vanEngelsdorp Honeybee Epidemiology Lab at the University of Maryland, then shared with the industry. “Bees are responsible for pollinating onethird of our food supply,” James elaborated, “so their health is important to all of us.” Pesticides, parasites, diseases and climate change have been causing major declines in
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828-263-2340 August / September 2017
High Country Magazine
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