Coming Soon! Healthy Hives Request for Proposals.

Healthy Hives, an initiative dedicated to identifying tangible solutions to improve honey bee colony health in the U.S. Launched in 2015 with an initial $1 million grant from Bayer, and an additional $500,000 provided in 2020, Healthy Hives has funded beekeeper-driven projects and research at a wide range of academic institutions around the world. Projects are aimed at finding ways commercial beekeeping operations can improve production and efficiency while reducing costs.  

"I spend tens of thousands of dollars on pollen supplements every year to, theoretically, keep my bees as strong as possible. But, like many beekeepers, I don't always have the data I'd like to choose which brand to use in my region and setting. When I suggested that a scientist study pollen supplement brands & their long-term impact on a truckload of my bees, PAm funded that project…” -Blake Shook, Desert Creek Honey 

Shook collaborated with Dr. Vanessa Corby Harris, of the USDA Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson AZ, which allowed the project to be more field-based and commercially relevant comparing the effectiveness of several nutritional supplements and completing an economic analysis for beekeepers. This study was recently renewed for a second year.  
 
PAm is very glad to have this significant investment by Bayer Crop Science, to help deliver solutions for beekeepers, in talking with beekeepers and researchers, we anticipate some exciting work in this next round of proposals.  
 
Priority Areas for Funding 
With this call for research proposals, PAm is requesting proposals for research addressing ways commercial beekeeping operations can improve production and efficiency while reducing costs. Current specific areas of interest include:  
 

• Conduct an economic evaluation of apicultural practices to quantify the true “cost” of beekeeping 
• Compare and contrast current best management practices (BMPs) designed to understand how different management techniques (i.e., nutrition supplements, Varroa management, indoor storage) contribute to overall beekeeping success 

• Evaluate the use of “smart hive” technology to monitor commercial migratory operations 
• Evaluate available U.S. genetic lines of bees for traits related to colony health (disease and pest resistance) and productivity (pollination and honey production) and identify favorable traits for beekeeping operations. 
• Expand current knowledge about Tropilaelaps sp. mites, including projects related to surveillance, emergency response/preparedness, bee health impacts, and management.  
• Research the contribution of pollinator habitat augmentation/creation on colony health and survival. 

This RFP coincides with Project Apis m.’s annual funding cycle. Other projects addressing PAm’s general priority areas may be considered for other funding sponsors and may be submitted through our general application window. Research outside the U.S. is possible (all application materials must be in English). The goal of this research is to help producers maintain colony health and honey production. Multi- and single-year proposals will be considered. PAm has funded projects up to $450,000 over 3 years and projects as small as $5,000 for one season’s work. The amount of funds available for a particular proposal will depend on the number and merit of successful proposals.  

Proposals must be submitted to Project Apis m.’s online portal here by midnight (PDT), February 1, 2023. Copies of proposals will be distributed to PAm’s Scientific Advisory Committee and a representative of Bayer Crop Science for review. Final funding decisions are made by the PAm Board of Directors. 

View or download the full RFP, including submission guidelines, required elements and more, HERE, or visit: www.projectapism.org/rfps.html