Progress 05/15/20 to 05/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:A total of 345 volunteers were trained in the Master Melittologist program, 32students in the Pollinator Stewards program (with 2,166additional land managers trained on how to create bee habitat)and 7 Master Level students in theMaster Beekeeper program (with an additional 900 beekeepers and 30 vetrinarians trained on the management of honey bee diseases). Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Websites: The Oregon Master Beekeeper website was updated during the grant. We created new websites for the Master Melittologist and Bee Steward programs. https://extension.oregonstate.edu/master-melittologist https://extension.oregonstate.edu/bee-steward We also shared content from our melittology education during the pandemic through a new YouTube channel, including over 50 videos produced by volunteers. https://www.youtube.com/@oregonbeeatlas9683 Data products: The bee occurrence and plant host data generated by volunteers in 2020 and 2021 is in the process of being finalized and will be loaded to Global Biodiversity Information Facility and vouchers housed at the Oregon State Arthropod Collection. We also plan two papers in 2023 featuring data from the Master Melittologists. Presentations to peers on the project: Melathopoulos, A. P., Best, L., Feuerborn, C., Fischer, H. A., Kincaid, S., Holt, J. and Marshall, C. PNW Cit Sci Summit (virtual), "The Oregon Bee Atlas: Statewide inventory of native bees with volunteer Master Melittologists," (October 4, 2022). Melathopoulos, A. P., Best, L., Feuerborn, C., Fischer, H. A., Kincaid, S., Holt, J. and Marshall, C. Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals Annual Meeting (virtual), "The Oregon Bee Atlas: Statewide inventory of native bees with volunteer Master Melittologists," (May 25, 2021). Melathopoulos, A. P., and Best, L. R. US National Native Bee Monitoring Research Coordination Network (RCN) Meeting (virtual), "Oregon Bee Atlas: Statewide inventory of native bees with volunteer Master Melittologists," (May 13, 2021). Invited Melathopoulos, A. P., Best, L., Feuerborn, C., Fischer, H. A., Kincaid, S., Holt, J. and Marshall, C. Surveying for Native Bees on Federally Managed Land, National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) (virtual), "The Oregon Bee Atlas: Statewide inventory of native bees with volunteer Master Melittologists," (January 19, 2021). Invited Melathopoulos, A. P., Best, L., Feuerborn, C., Fischer, H. A., Kincaid, S., Holt, J. and Marshall, C. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting (virtual), "The Oregon Bee Atlas: Statewide inventory of native bees with volunteer Master Melittologists," (November 12, 2020). Selected news items: Adventuresome trio find bee unknown in Oregon(Columbia Gorge News, 2022):https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/adventuresome-trio-find-bee-unknown-in-oregon/article_54467396-4f13-11ed-be1d-67c8e57da0e1.html 'Monumental task:' Hundreds of new species added to Oregon Bee Atlas (KGW8, 2022): https://www.kgw.com/article/tech/science/environment/new-species-added-oregon-bee-atlas/283-97fca29a-8287-4b8a-8981-5445d15ecc47 New OSU program first in nation to tackle statewide native bee inventory (Capital Press, 2021):https://www.capitalpress.com/ag_sectors/research/new-osu-program-first-in-nation-to-tackle-statewide-native-bee-inventory/article_34e826fe-514d-11eb-918b-e7de8644ec7b.html What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: Protect bees from pesticide exposure and increase habitat for bees on Oregon farms. We developed a series of three 60 min talks for land managers on creating bee habitat resulting in 2,166 land managers who learned key aspects of generating bee habitat on their property. Students starting the training uniformly exhibit difficulty telling many bee taxa apart from flies and wasps, but over 90% were able to identify five common species of bees to genus or species after taking the training (2018-2021, n=580). Post-training tests indicate that over 98% of students plan to incorporate one or more habitat concepts into their land management practices after the training. In 2020 we developed an advanced Bee Stewards program consisting of a self-paced four module training (totaling approximately nine hours of instruction), five evening discussion sessions, and a field trip.. We launched a pilot program of the course in 2021 with 12 land managers. In a post-course survey, participants reported a 55% increase in knowledge of bee biology and 100% said they have a better understanding of how to enhance pollinator habitat on their property. Also, 100% said they are or are planning to use what they learned to start appropriate forest practices for bee preservation. Those who finished the course indicated the practical information will allow them to better steward bees in their woodlands.Landowners who took the course in 2021 have already enhanced habitat on properties covering 1,719 acres with plans for an additional 902 acres within the next five years. Goal 2: Reduce impacts of diseases and pests on honey bees. We expanded the disease and mite management education offered in the Master level of the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program. The Master level was launched during the grant and offers a rigorous course of study that challenges students to demonstrate proficiency in specialized areas of beekeeping. One component is demonstrating proficiency in Honey Bee Pests and Diseases, with a focus on Varroa mites. To achieve this requirement, students study and become conversant in answering questions outlined in various study guides, academic resources, and workshops in order to answer randomly selected questions during an oral exam. They must also excel at pest and disease diagnosis in the field. A Disease Workshop was offered in order to provide hands-on training and demonstration regarding the identification, treatment, and mitigation of pests and disease. Students were tested on their proficiency with both an in-hive exam and lab exam. During the course of the project, seven students have achieved this designation. Working together with Master volunteers, we were able to deliver 42 presentations on honey bee bacterial diseases and Varroa management topics to beekeepers, reaching an estimated 900 participants. We also offered seven hands-on training sessions, including colony autopsy clinics, where we worked through different scenarios of how colonies died, as well as diseases and mite management tips for spring and summer. We engaged 148 students through hands-on apiculture training.Finally, we trained more than 30 veterinarians in Oregon on bacterial disease diagnosis so that they could assist beekeepers in obtaining antibiotic prescriptions for controlling bacterial diseases. Goal 3: Complete inventory the bees of Oregon and creation of the database of the species of plants they visit. Through the proposal, we launched the first Master certificate program dedicated to wild bee survey (the Master Melittologists) in 2020. The core of the course is a self-paced and interactive six-module online training, covering an overview of bee protection in the U.S., including an introduction to bee protection (Module 1), catching and preparing bee specimens (Module 2), record management (Module 3), native bee biology (Module 4), advanced survey methods (Module 5) and native bee taxonomy (Module 6). All students were required also to collect a day long field training and a day long microscope training and complete a minimum number of service points. The last element of the training pathway offered to students was an intensive 5-day native bee taxonomy course hosted at the OSU Corvallis campus (2018, 2019, canceled in 2020 due to covid-19). Bee School is the only course of its kind in the region, combining morning lectures and afternoon identification of specimens under microscopes. The course was offered as a discount to volunteers contributing to the Oregon Bee Atlas but was also open to professionals from across the U.S. and Canada. The online Master Melittologist training drew 36 students in its inaugural year (2020) and as of the completion of the grant has enrolled a total of 345 students. Notably, while the 2020 class included only students from Oregon, currently only 46% of students are from Oregon, with smaller numbers the Canadian province of British Columbia (13%), Idaho (7%) and Washington (5%). Notably, in 2023, the Washington State Department of Agriculture adopted the Master Melittologist training for its volunteers in the newly launched Washington Bee Atlas. These volunteers successfully collected and pinned over 119,000 specimens with associated plant host records since the grant started. A number of new state records and range expansions were documented by volunteers across the period of the grant. Bee School sessions ran close to capacity during the course of the grant, with 92 students trained. While approximately 80% of the students were volunteers of the Oregon Bee Atlas, the remainder were either graduate students or professionals from OSU or from out of state. Surveys conducted for students enrolled in Bee School (n=33) demonstrated the capacity of largely non-specialist students to learn exceedingly technical native bee taxonomy. Students were asked to compare their ability to determine bee specimens to the genus level before and after the course using a six-point scale (1=poor and 6=excellent). While students assessed themselves at 2.18 before the course, they improved to 4.21 after taking the course. A survey was sent to all volunteers in Feburary 2023 to seek feedback and further improve the program. The survey began with asking volunteers their progress through the program, their experience in the program, competence in skills and tasks, motivations to particiapnt, and feedback on training design and resources. 72 volunteers responded to the survey, most of whom have completed the apprentice level of training and plan to progress to the Journal level when it becomes available. It is evident from survey results that the volunteers are eager to learn about bees and bee conservation and perform program tasks properly. For example, 99% of volunteers who responded to the survey believe the program helped them understand the diverse taxonomy of bees. To understand how the training program and resources prepares volunteers to collect, identify, and curate bees, we asked them to rate their competency in key program tasks. While a majority of responses felt competent in all the expected tasks the volunteers are still eager for feedback from the staff members, 78% want feedback on the types of bees they collect. The volunteers also find that direct communication and interaction with the staff (via email, zoom calls, or field collection days) is the most effective way to get and share information about the program. While nearly all program volunteers are satisfied with their participation, volunteers in rural areas did comment on feeling disconnected from the other volunteers.
Publications
|
Progress 05/15/21 to 05/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience:A total of 60 students were trained in the Master Melittologist program, 15 students in the Pollinator Stewards program and 82 students in the Master Beekeeper program. We also trained 156 growers in advanced techniques of bee protection. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through a combination of in-person training (Pollinator Stewards, Master Melittologist and Master Beekeepers) and online training. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will be revising our Pollinator Stewards training after the experience of running the pilot in 2021. We are continuing to survey the cohort of Master Melittologist students admited in 2021. Bees collected in 2021 will be determined and added to global bee bidoversity databases. Master Beekeeper training will be expanded.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Long-Term Goals and Supporting Objectives Goal 1: Protect bees from pesticide exposure and increase habitat for bees on Oregon farms Objective 1.1: 153growers indicated their intention to adopt advanced bee-friendly farming practices Objective 1.2: 15growers enroll in a new Master Pollinator Steward Program, delivering 3presentations on bee-friendly farming. Objective 1.3: 82Master Beekeepers and 5 veterinarians are able to recognize symptoms of different brood diseases and are able to recommend appropriate management techniques. Goal 2: Reduce impacts of diseases and pests on honey bees Objective 2.1: 82Master Beekeepers are trained and able to monitor colonies for varroa infestation and correctly determine if treatment is necessary and can tell major honey bee brood diseases from one another and from abiotic causes of brood mortality. Goal 3: Complete inventory the bees of Oregon and creation of the database of the species of plants they visit. Objective 3.1: 60citizen scientists are trained in the Master Bee Atlas program on wild bee sampling, basic surveying, and curating specimens. Objective 3.2: Volunteers in the Master Bee Atlas program bring their understanding of bee biology back to their communities and hosted5 outreach events per year spread across 2 counties. Objective 3.3: Volunteers in the Master Bee Atlas program collected 31,500new bee specimens and host-plant records for the state. Bees collected in 2021 are awaiting determination, after whichthey will be vouchered at the Oregon State Arthropod Collection.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Melathopoulos, A. P., Best, L., Feuerborn, C., Fischer, H. A., Kincaid, S., Holt, J. and Marshall, C. Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals Annual Meeting (virtual), The Oregon Bee Atlas: Statewide inventory of native bees with volunteer Master Melittologists, (May 25, 2021).
Melathopoulos, A. P., and Best, L. R. US National Native Bee Monitoring Research Coordination Network (RCN) Meeting (virtual), Oregon Bee Atlas: Statewide inventory of native bees with volunteer Master Melittologists, (May 13, 2021).
Melathopoulos, A. P., Best, L., Feuerborn, C., Fischer, H. A., Kincaid, S., Holt, J. and Marshall, C. Surveying for Native Bees on Federally Managed Land, National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) (virtual), The Oregon Bee Atlas: Statewide inventory of native bees with volunteer Master Melittologists, (January 19, 2021).
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Online training for Master Melittologist and Pollinator Steward programs
|
Progress 05/15/20 to 05/14/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The program has four main target audiences, specifically volunteers interested in melittology, beekeepers, land managers interested in pollinator habitat and the public. We enrolled 34 students from Oregon into the Master Melittologist program in 2020. The program has expanded in 2021 with 55 students enrolled in from Oregon, and 19 students from outside of Oregon. We have trained 12 Master-level beekeepers in the new honey bee disease competency. There is also 12 landowners enrolled in 2021 into the inaugral class of the Pollinator Stewards. Master Melittologist volunteers have had the largest impact on public education. Volunteers were responsible forcreatingshort digital content from their observations in the field ("Bee Blurbs"). Moreover, beginning in April 2020 we began hosting a free public monthly webinar series on native bee biology, titled The Wild World of Bees. Volunteers produced a total of 49 'Bee Blurbs'(as of March 31, 2020). While these posts have been viewed around 100 times on the OSU Extension website, they have garnered considerable attention on social media. The 2020 'Bee Blurbs' have been viewed over 5,000 times through the Oregon Bee Project Facebook page, having been shared by viewers over 70 times (as of March 31, 2021). The Wild World of Bees has been equally popular with 612 participants and over 7,464 views on the Oregon Bee Atlas YouTube channel (as of March 31, 2021). Changes/Problems:We had to transition proposed face-to-face training to virtual training because of COVID-restrictions. These virtual events, however, have proven very effective and heavily viewed. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three adult education programs through thethe Master Melittologist program, the Pollinator Steward program and the new disease competency and training manual for the Master Beekeeper program. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?See above discussion of outreach by the Master Melittologist program. We also developed a new Extension website for the Oregon Bee Atlas (oregonbeeatlas.org), a new YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-fDUsqKRDxinSPSU4HpXw) and we are beta-testing a website to display bee records for the public (https://oregonbees.osac.oregonstate.edu/). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to expand the existing program and develop new training streams for the Pollinator Stewards program. We also are tracking educational outcomes of the cohort of students entering the program in 2021.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: Protect bees from pesticide exposure and increase habitat for bees on Oregon farm: - We trained 80 growers inadvanced bee-friendly farming practices through virtual trainings - We trained 12 landowners enrolled in 2021 into the inaugral class of the Pollinator Stewards. Goal 2: Reduce impacts of diseases and pests on honey bees - 12 Master-level beekeepers were trained and testedin advance diseases management techniques. Goal 3: Complete inventory the bees of Oregon and creation of the database of the species of plants they visit. - 108 citizen scientists trained (or are being trained) in the Master Melittologist program. - Due to covid restrictions, outreach was conducted virtually in 2020.Volunteers produced a total of49 'Bee Blurbs'(as of March 31, 2020). While these posts have been viewed around 100 times on the OSU Extension website, they have garnered considerable attention on social media. The 2020 'Bee Blurbs' have been viewed over 5,000 times through the Oregon Bee Project Facebook page, having been shared by viewers over 70 times (as of March 31, 2021). The Wild World of Bees has been equally popular with 612 participants and over 7,464 views on theOregon Bee Atlas YouTube channel(as of March 31, 2021). - Volunteers collected 30,000 new bee records in 2020
Publications
|