TBA Monthly Meeting

February Meeting

Meet and Greet at 11:30

General Meeting 12:00 to 1:30

Emily A Carlson - Guest Speaker

Emily is a graduate research assistant and PhD candidate at Oregon State University in the Honey Bee and Pollinator Health Labs. Emily has a passion for working with diverse stakeholders toward the common goal of pollinator conservation. Her background includes writing and delivering natural resource education to landowners in King County, wetland restoration at a non-profit nature preserve, and grant writing. Outside the lab and field, Emily enjoys participating in outreach opportunities to share her love of six-legged creatures. 

She will be taking us into A Deep Dive into the Ecology of Pesticide Exposure

Understanding where pesticide exposure happens in the landscape is critical to implementing the best management practices that will protect bees from unintended pesticide contact. But how do we even measure pesticide risk? What models are scientists using to understand how bees are exposed to pesticides and how does that impact real world management practices? In this talk, we will explore the finer points of pesticide exposure, hazard, and risk. What pollen is coming into a colony and what pesticide risk might it pose? In 2020 and 2021, we collected over 300 pollen samples to understand how pesticide hazard changes to bees throughout a pollination circuit in sweet cherry, meadowfoam, clover, and carrot seed. This presentation will examine what pesticides are found in these environments and alternative forage within these systems. We will also dive into pollen morphology and examine common pollen found in honey bee colonies at different points in the year.