Project Number: 0500-00044-024-03
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 18, 2008
End Date: Sep 30, 2009

Objective:
To support the Areawide project on honey bees with logistical support including, sample collection and colony assessments in the field, sample analysis and data handling and conducting beekeeper colony loss surveys.

Approach:
The Areawide program to improve honey bee survival includes extensive field components that require labor and sample preparation in addition to colony manipulations on the East coast and West coast of the U.S. and subsequent sample analysis and data handling. The USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory (BRL) has worked closely with Pennsylvania State University (PSU) over the past two years and has a very good working relationship in carrying out joint field projects. We are proposing to utilize PSU staff to help with the logistics of colony assessments in the field and some of the sample analysis and data handling as BRL does not have sufficient staff on hand to meet these labor needs.