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MSU opens pollinator center

Michigan State University is opening a new Pollinator Performance Center to help expand outreach and research supporting beekeepers and pollinators.

Ana Heck tells Brownfield, “We have plans for a teaching apiary or bee yard where we can hold in-hive trainings and workshops, we are planting plants for pollinators, and we’re excited to work with people who are interested in learning about pollinators and supporting their health.”

Heck says ongoing research including on honeybee diseases and with specialty crop pollination will also be housed at the center.

“In Michigan we have 400 different species of bees, we also have many crops that need insects or bees for their pollination,” she says.  “For example, apples, cherries, blueberries, and some vegetables receive pollination from bees and so we work a lot with growers to make sure we keep pollinators healthy.”

The center was developed through a partnership with the Department of Entomology, MSU AgBioResearch and MSU Extension in a building formerly used for indoor animal air quality research on the south side of campus.

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