Gov. Jay Inslee and First Spouse Trudi Inslee stopped in for a tour of the WSU Bee Program in Othello on Tuesday afternoon, meeting with WSU researchers to discuss challenges facing pollinators which in some cases has led to colony collapse disorder and the strategies being organized to aid them.
Honey bees are relied on to pollinate a vast majority of the over 300 specialty crops in Washington’s diverse agricultural economy. When asked by the governor about the top issues threatening pollinators from carrying out that work, WSU Assistant Professor Brandon Hopkins shared about one pest, the Varroa mite, which latches onto honey bees to feed on them, “It would be like having a dinner plate on your back.” To address the Varroa mite and similar pests, the WSU Bee Program is working with industry partners to research how to deter and kill them without harming the honey bee like the use of fungus which can infect the Varroa.
The governor and First Spouse also had a chance to see, up close, the work of the WSU Bee Program nationally recognized bee breeding program as a queen laid eggs in one of the demonstration hives. The program first began breeding honey bees in 1999 after obtaining the only permit to import germ plasm necessary to inseminate queen bees and facilitate the breeding process.
The WSU Bee Program operates out of the Honey Bee and Pollinator Research, Extension, and Education Facility in Othello which opened in 2020. In addition to its research, it also provides industry and hobbyist beekeepers with educational opportunities around beekeeping and breeding. You can learn more about the program here.
