Honey Bee + Pollinators Program

The Bee Program at WSU studies solutions to the most pressing issues facing honey bees and other bee pollinators today, supporting sustainable agriculture, the beekeeping industry, and conservation. 

Mitigating Multiple Stressors

Honey bees and other bee pollinators face many challenges to health and productivity: diminished floral diversity, inadequate nutrition, parasites and disease, environmental variability, suboptimal management practices, pesticides, and more. The Bee Program approaches each of these through sustainable management strategies that support hive vitality, ecosystem resilience, and overall bee pollinator health.

Preserving Pollination

Agriculture and food security rely on pollination services to thrive. The Bee Program focuses on key factors influencing pollinator health and sustainability, exploring how management practices and natural habitat can build, restore, and enhance pollinator health and ecosystems.

Preserving Genetic Diversity

Genetic diversity in honey bee populations is essential for resilience and adaptability. The Bee Program has pioneered cryopreservation methods for long-term storage of honey bee semen, establishing the world’s first germplasm repository and ensuring the preservation and availability of honey bee genetic material for future regeneration.

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The Sustainable Future of Flight

The race to decarbonize aviation is reshaping transportation, energy, and aerospace. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a crucial solution. Through research, workforce development, and strategic partnerships, WSU is leading the transformation of SAF from innovation to impact.

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Resilient Livestock Program

WSU’s Resilient Livestock Program advances precision gene-editing technologies to improve livestock health, productivity, and resilience while supporting food security and agricultural sustainability.  

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Healthy Farming, Healthy Food

Through interdisciplinary research connecting soil health, agricultural resilience, food system sustainability, and human health, WSU researchers are improving access to nutritious, affordable whole-grain foods, while evaluating their impacts from the farm to the consumer.

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Honey Bee + Pollinators Program

The Bee Program at WSU studies solutions to the most pressing issues facing honey bees and other bee pollinators today, supporting sustainable agriculture, the beekeeping industry, and conservation. 

Learn more.

Resilient Agriculture

WSU is helping agriculture thrive in a changing energy landscape by integrating renewable energy production with food production, sustainable waste management, and rural economic development.

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The Future of Salmon

Salmon are among Washington’s most important natural resources — a keystone species with a vital role in ecosystems throughout the Pacific Northwest. WSU research strengthens sustainable aquaculture and develops innovative solutions to emerging environmental challenges facing salmon. 

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Facing Wildfire Challenges

With multidisciplinary wildfire expertise and partnerships with communities, Tribal nations, and industry leaders, WSU researchers are helping protect Washington and the Pacific Northwest.