RIC professor given $22K to help stem decline of honeybees

PROVIDENCE – A biology professor at Rhode Island College has received a $22,736 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop strategies to stem the disappearance of honeybees in Rhode Island.
Assistant professor of biology Geoff Stilwell will use the USDA Specialty Crop Block grant to fund his ‘Honeybee Study,’ an effort to mitigate the effects of small-hive beetle infestations on the state’s honeybee population.
The vanishing of honeybees, which pollinate crops, is a critical concern for the state’s specialty crops. The infestations are a contributing factor to the decline in honeybees; the U.S. honeybee population has dropped 31 percent in the last 20 years, according to a 2006 congressional report.
By conducting a honeybee population census and concurrently tracking small-hive beetle infestations, Stilwell and collaborators will create a baseline for multiyear population tracking and cultivate tactics to reduce the small-hive beetle impact.
The study also will provide educational outreach centered at RIC’s new, outdoor Bee Education Center, a hub for environmental and sustainability programming. RIC has housed an apiary, or beehive, since 2011, providing a beekeeping training and biodiversity education site for adults and children.
Stilwell’s grant was dispersed through the R.I. Department of Environmental Management. •