By , on January 6th, 2012

Bees on searockets

In December, I took Alex, my postdoc to Modesto for the Almond Board meeting. Because they funded my research on varroa RNAi, I was asked to be there to report our findings. We took a few days off to visit …

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By , on March 10th, 2011

An Open Letter Regarding the Eradication of Star Thistle (Spotted Knapweed)

At the March 5, 2011 MBA Board meeting, a position paper was circulated and approved.  To read this position paper… click here.

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By , on March 5th, 2011

Operation Pollinator Michigan: Phase IA

 M ichigan has a diverse agricultural sector, with farms across the state that include many valuable pollination-dependent crops such as blueberry, apple, cherry, pickling cucumbers, etc. worth over $500 million in 2008. Michigan is one of the leading producers of …

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By , on November 23rd, 2010

Star Thistle Controversy Heats Up

As many beekeepers in Michigan know, there is a plan to release in Michigan several types of insects as a form of biocontrol for star thistle (spotted knapweed).  There is considerable controversy as to the impact of this plan, as …

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By , on July 21st, 2010

Alpine flowers, Part I.

I was at the Shangri-La Alpine Botanic Garden for 11 days in June. Shangri-La is about 4 hrs of drive, north of Lijiang, in Yunnan Provence. The garden is the first and only privately owned botanic garden in China. The …

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