Kentucky State Bee Keepers Association Receives Grant to Develop Mite-resistant Honeybees for Kentucky

There is a buzz going on in the Kentucky Bee Industry lately, and it isn't just coming from the hives. The Kentucky State Beekeepers Association, KSBA, have received $100,103 in grant funding to develop and propagate mite-resistant honeybee strains that are indigenous to the state of Kentucky.

Over 98% of the Wild Honeybee population in the state has been lost over the last 15 years due to mite problems, and mites continue to be a problem for honeybee producers in the state. The KSBA are working toward the goal of developing a strain of honeybees indigenous to Kentucky and at the same time are mite resistant. Three locations across the state will be chosen to research the regional differences within the honeybee genetic populations. Along with genetic research this grant will allow the KSBA provide educational training on insemination techniques and offer products, such as queen bees, to Kentucky producers.

The money supporting this project is part of the Agricultural Development Fund that was created by Governor Patton and the Kentucky Legislature using a portion of Kentucky's tobacco settlement proceeds. The Fund represents the largest state-financed agricultural development effort in the United States, and is intended to assist farmers to diversify their operations to meet the challenges faced as the tobacco industry changes and tobacco revenues decline.

For more information regarding this project, contact Gerald Burchett at (270)928-4003 or the Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy at (502)564-4627.