Bayer Bee Care Center

Bayer Bee Care Center. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Spring is coming on strong here in the northwest and if you haven’t already noticed there are a lot of critters buzzing about including bees which are an important part of the tree fruit industry. The Bayer Bee Care Center in North Carolina is working to keep those bees working and the Center’s manager, Dick Rogers talks about the Bee Care Tour.

ROGERS: Bayer has taken the initiative to try to open some channels of communication between farmers and beekeepers in the industry and one way to do that is to have a bee health tour that goes across the country and visits various states.

The tour started in Florida and moved into the midwest

ROGERS: And then we are also visiting some agricultural communities as well to open a dialog on bee health and the stewardship practices farmers can follow to help improve out track record with bee safety.

Rogers says Bayer is committed to helping bees.

ROGERS: Bayer has been involved in developing bee health products for over 25 years. Back at that time Bayer developed a miticide that beekeepers can use to control the then new parasitic mite that’s affecting bee health. Also over the years Bayer has been actively testing their products for how to use it safe around bees and what those affects are on bees if there are any at all.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.