By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
Bayer CropScience opened a new Bee Care Center in North America.
The official grand opening of the U.S. facility was on April 15.
The state-of-the-art center which is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, cost $2.6 million, will serve as an education and research hub for honey bee health initiatives.
According to Bayer, the hub will encourage collaboration between industry stakeholders including - beekeepers and growers. Research will focus on a variety of issues affecting bee health including, disease, parasites, mites, genetics and weather factors.
Canadian and U.S. growers and beekeepers stand to benefit from the research that will take place at the 6,000-square-foot facility.
The center will add to Bayer’s bee-focused research locations. The company also has a Northern Bee Care Technology Station in Rockwood, Ontario, the Eastern bee Care Technology Station in Clayton, North Carolina and its European centre at its headquarters in Monheim, Germany.
In addition to the creation of the North American center, Bayer highlights some of its bee health efforts in Canada. For the 2014 planting season, it introduced Fluency Agent – a product that is required for neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seeds.
The company says it is in the development stages of creating a smartphone app for growers and beekeepers. Research is also being conducted in Ontario to better understand honey bee health during and after corn planting. The results of the research project are expected to be published later this year.