You can think of the University of Georgia’s entomology department as the Mission Control of a huge project studying the decline of honey bees in America. And, if you think of the department as Houston Space Center, then Dr. Keith Delaplane is the equivalent of NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz.

Just as Kranz meticulously attended to every aspect of the space program, Delaplane oversees every minute detail of a huge study funded by a multimillion-dollar United Stated Department of Agriculture grant.

“This is a vast project that addresses the big question of why the honey bee population is declining,” Delaplane summarized. “It is a big question and a question full of many interactive causes.”

The big question of what is causing the decline of the honeybee population is being addressed by a team of entomologists from around the country. Universities and agricultural experimental stations from Maine to California are working together to study the problem, and the entire study – known as the Managed Pollinator Coordinated Agricultural Project – is being directed by Delaplane and the UGA entomology labs right here in Oconee County.

It’s not reported on the nightly news the way NASA is covered, so few people probably know about the Managed Pollinator CAP study. Fewer still probably know about the entomology department’s labs off Hog Mountain Road. Just a stone’s throw away, cars zip up and down Highway 441 and whip in and out of a large gas station. But, around the corner and tucked down a dirt road that winds through agricultural test fields, sits a series of buildings that house the serious studies of UGA’s entomology department.

The buildings are nondescript from the outside, and the only hint of what goes on inside is a “Bee Crossing” sign on the side of the dirt road. Today, in the cold of winter, not a single buzzing bee flits and darts near the sign.

One year into the study, the first set of benchmarks are due today, but the offices and labs are relatively calm on this Monday. The quiet is evidence, Delaplane said, that even though this study will be historic in scope, the nuts-and-bolts daily work at his office is hardly the stuff of action movies.

“This is not glamorous work,” Delaplane said. “It is more like plug and chug to get the work done.”

Today, there are some bees inside an incubator, but not a winged creature is stirring. The only critters in sight are a friendly cat and two gentle dogs that scamper through the building. And, although study benchmarks are set to go online later in the day, Delaplane takes the time to help a graduate student with a final project, and even takes a few minutes to pet the resident cat, Hank.

Delaplane also takes the time to explain not only why this study will be historic in scope, but also why we should be concerned about the decline of honey bees in the first place. As to why we should care about a lowly, buzzing bee, Delaplane said it comes down to how well you want to eat.

“If you want to eat gruel every day, you don’t need bees,” he explained succinctly. “If you want to eat a better diet, then you need bees.”

Bees pollinate crops, allowing us to enjoy the fruits and vegetables we eat. But, he added, bees also pollinate forage crops that feed animals, allowing us to eat meat and dairy products. 

In other words, he said, look at a fully-dressed hamburger. If you take away all the non-pollinated components of the all-American treat, you are left with only a bun and a measly leaf of lettuce.

“You could survive off of bread and lettuce, but it would not constitute a good diet,” he said.

Since honey bees do play such a pivotal part in our diet, Delaplane said it is imperative to find out why U.S. bees colonies are on the decline. One of the biggest components of the Managed Pollinator CAP will be to set up bee colonies across the nation, all of which will be managed identically.

“We will be looking at bees literally from sea to shining sea,” he said.

And, the end result of the study?

“This will be the first nation-wide, comprehensive portrait of honey bee health,” Delaplane stated.

That is exciting in itself, Delaplane said. Just as exciting, the study will also look at the health of migratory bee populations. Beekeepers, he said, have always trucked their bees across the country to aid in the pollination of certain crops. But, he explained, that industry has exploded in recent years because of California’s almond crop.

Turns out almonds are very pollination-intensive nuts. Turns out, also, California almond farmers can’t plant trees fast enough to keep up with the demand for the nuts from Asian markets. The bees that show up to pollinate all those almond trees will give entomologists a chance to study the health of migratory bees.

“There is a migratory wild card in this study, and we will be able to conduct a parallel program monitoring the health of migratory bees,” Delaplane said.

With the two parallel health studies, Delaplane said, he and other entomologists will better be able to see what is causing the decline in the bee population. They are looking at many factors, such as nutrition, parasites, toxins, and the effect of pesticides.

The team is also looking for solutions to the problems they uncover, and those solutions include breeding resistance into the honey bee population. None of the solutions, Delaplane said proudly, involve chemicals.

“It is noteworthy that not one cent of this $4 million grant is dedicated to pesticide development,” he said.

Genetic solutions to bee problems. Two historic bee population studies. Managing a team of entomologists, agricultural experts and geneticists.

It really is rocket science and it is all in a days’ work for Delaplane and his department. And they do it all from a small group of buildings tucked in between the fields and forests of Oconee County.

“This is a great place to work,” Delaplane said as he looked at the window and once again gave Hank the cat some attention. “It really is a great place to work.”

For more information on the Managed Pollinator Coordinated Agricultural Project, go to http://hosting.caes.uga.edu/cap/index.html.

Mary Anne Carroll is a reporter for The Oconee Leader. She can be reached at 706-310-1104 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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