Construction Begins on the Texas Honey Bee Facility
Texas Honey Bee Facility Progress as of Friday, December 11, 2009. Click on the photo to view the progress of the facility's construction.
The vision for funding, constructing, and equipping the joint, permanent homes for the tentatively named Honey Bee Research and Education Center and the existing Texas Apiary Inspection Service begins to take on a physical shape this month. This 6,500 square foot, wood framed building with metal roof and siding will be located on the Texas A&M Riverside Campus, College Station.
This project would not have been possible without the vision, leadership, persistence and generous contribution from the beekeeping industry of Texas, namely the Texas Beekeepers Association (TBA). For almost a decade the TBA and its membership have worked with Texas A&M to pursue not only resources for this project but advocacy for the apiary sciences. A significant portion of the resources needed result from the philanthropic investment of TBA members, including a leadership challenge contribution by Dr. John Thomas and his wife, Janice of College Station, TX. Additional support from The Heep Foundation, the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University and Texas Agrilife Research complimented the industry's commitment, allowing the project to commence. As the project proceeds, we look forward to recognizing the impact of the donors and the beekeeping industry.
Honey bees play a critical role in nature and agriculture. They serve as vital pollinators in gardens, landscapes and for native plants and crops. Honey bees are essential in sustaining biological diversity across the widely varied plant communities in the Lone Star state. Honey bees support a thriving beekeeping industry in Texas while providing countless hours of joy, relaxation and a learning experience for hobby beekeepers. In Texas, bees contribute over $500 million annually to agriculture through crop pollination. They have been long recognized as model insects in science and public education. Honey bees, one of our most valuable natural resources, are under constant threat from diseases and parasites. Additionally, there is an increase demand for bee-pollinated crops.
The Honey Bee Research and Education Center will house the program of Dr. Tanya Pankiw within the Department of Entomology. Her program, which received national recognition upon receipt of the 2006 National Research Discovery Award, addresses the mechanisms that regulate the organization of honey bee colonies. Specifically her research group studies the effects of pheromones on honey bee neurosensory physiology, endocrinology, behavior ontogeny, and gene expression. Discovery and technology transfer of these pheromones will allow producers using bees to have increased pollination of their crops. In addition, these pheromone will become valuable to the many Texas beekeepers that sell and rent to producers and other beekeepers.
The building will also house the Texas Apiary Inspection Service . A number of statutes have been established in an effort to maintain a healthy and viable population of honey bees to benefit pollination needs, honey production and Texas Agriculture as a whole. Texas Apiary Inspection Service is charged with enforcing these statutes in the State of Texas.
Construction of this $650,000 facility is pivotal in supporting these research, education, and regulatory efforts. It will support a range of research projects and serve as a teaching laboratory for students, professional, and amateur beekeepers. A full range of colony-handling and honey processing activities will be available in this state of the art facility. We invite you to watch us grow, from ground breaking to occupancy, as we chronologically document construction of this facility with the series of photos.