The 2023 Tobacco, Beef and More field day is a free event that brings together area beef and tobacco producers to learn more about current research in the field. Pesticide re-certification points are also available. Please check back the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s calendar for more information as the date for this event approaches.
On June 30, the Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center hosted the Tobacco, Beef, & More Field Day. The event brought together beef and tobacco producers to learn more about current research in their respective fields. Taylor Miller, a master’s student with a concentration in plant pathology, and her advisor, Dr. Zach Hansen, attended the event along with other colleagues. To view more photos from the event, visit Entomology & Plant Pathology (@utia.epp) • Instagram photos and videos.
Victoria Hull will be presenting his M.S. Proposal Seminar titled “The Effects Education, Resource Availability, and Nutrition Can Have on Honey Bees”. The seminar will be held via Zoom for all Entomology and Plant Pathology students and faculty.
Registration is now open for the 2022 TN Master Beekeeping Program classes! Whether you are thinking about becoming a beekeeper or have been keeping bees for years, there is always new research-based information to learn. Please join us and help the bees by increasing your education to improve your beekeeping operation and decrease your losses. More information can be found here: https://epp.tennessee.edu/masterbee/. Due to the level of interest, please be patient when trying to register.
After several delays and supply issues (thank you for your patience!), the Master Beekeeping Program has sent out the first-ever MBP apiary signs to participants who successfully completed the 2021 class. If you earned your certificate, keep your eyes peeled. Those who did not earn a certificate were sent a copy of Beekeeping in TN and should keep their eyes peeled, too! Please note we are planning in-person classes for 2022 and are working with county Extension personnel to coordinate dates and locations. Until then, please hang tight and fill out the Interest Form on our website (tiny.utk.edu/apiculture) so we will know where there is interest and who to contact once the schedule is finalized. Do not be
Dr. Laura Russo from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology created this wonderful poster showcasing many of the types of bees found here in Tennessee. Many are very common and can be found even in your own garden! From left to right/top to bottom: Mason bees Leaf cutter bees Small carpenter bees Bumble bees Sweat bees Mining bees Blue-green sweat bees Let us know if you happen to find any of these bees in your own yard! Take plenty of pictures! Most of these critters are quite friendly and are reluctant to sting you so don’t be afraid. 🙂
The University of TN, Knoxville was certified as a Bee Campus, USA in March of 2020! To achieve this recognition, UTK has committed to developing a plan to include pollinator habitats on campus and hosting events and learning opportunities to increase awareness about the importance of pollinators
For #NationalPollinatorWeek, we would love to take a moment to bring the spotlight to the poster-child of pollinators:
The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is not native to North America but has become an integral part of agriculture in the United States. Honey bees are generalists in that they forage on a variety of plant species, including many of the food crops that are also not native to the U.S.
In lieu of National Pollinator Week, we would like to bring chimney bees, a wonderful little pollinator, to the spotlight!
To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face, and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated May 20th as World Bee Day. The goal is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries. We all depend on pollinators and it is, therefore, crucial to monitor their decline and halt the loss of biodiversity.