by Dewey M. Caron, Communications and Content Specialist for the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program
Carolyn Breece, OSU Faculty research Assistant provided information on the Spanish language option of the Oregon Master beekeeper program in the November 2022 Bee Culture magazine. The article includes a photo of participant Elva Webster drawing honey from the OSU Oak Creek Apiary Flow hive. She is garden and community engagement coordinator at Huerto de la Familia (Family Garden), a Lane County nonprofit that provides opportunities and training in organic agriculture and business creation to Spanish-speaking families. She looks forward to tending some bee hives at the 6 community gardens in Eugene. The Spanish Language program kicks off the 2nd year of training May 13th.
https://www.beeculture.com/spanish-language-master-beekeeper-program/
Associate Professor Andony Melathopoulos, with OSU undergraduate honors student Matthew Bucy, published a research paper “Labels of insecticides to which Oregon honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) hives could be exposed do not align with federal recommendations in their communication of acute and residual toxicity to honey bees. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ps.5685 There analysis examined the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) insecticide labels that might be of concern to Oregon beekeepers with our bee exposure. Nearly one-third (31.5%) of 232 labels viewed deviated from EPA recommendations. Product labels, which are written by the pesticide supplier but approved as the “law” by EPA, included both commercial and garden products. The most common deviation represented a direct contradiction between the statement used and the toxicity class of the product’s active ingredient.