Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/114539
• courtesy bayer cropscience honey production, educational purposes, queen rearing, intensive research, and a healthy bee stock production program. "The highest priority for bee health research is for management of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor," Roden said. "However, honeybee health is negatively affected by many factors, so a holistic IPM approach is a key focus of the Bayer Bee Care Center in North America." An architect's rendering of the new Bee Care Center to be built in North Carolina. Dick Rogers POLLINATOR conference T he Center for Pollinator Research at Pennsylvania State University will host the second International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy, August 14-17. A major theme will be the effects of environmental contaminants on pollinator genomics, development, physiology, and behavior. The conference will feature two world-renowned speakers: David Goulson, from the University of Stirling in Scotland, who is an expert in the behavior, ecosystems services, and conservation of bumblebees, and Heather Patisaul, North Carolina State University, who will share insights into the genomic, neurophysiological, and behavioral impacts of environmental contaminants that act as endocrine disruptors. Additional symposia will include talks and posters related to pollinator behavior, physiology, host-parasite interactions, conservation, ecosystems services, and policy. When the first conference was held in 2010, it attracted more than 200 participants from 14 countries, representing universities, government agencies, agrochemical companies, nonprofit organizations, and several stakeholder groups. The conference will be preceded on August 14 by a day-long Pollinator Conservation Short Course hosted by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, which will feature presentations on creating and protecting pollinator habitat, as well as related research of Penn State scientists. The Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State is a consortium of 27 faculty involved in research, education, and extension efforts focused on improving pollinator health, conservation, and ecosystems services. For more information about the conference, contact the organizers: Christina Grozinger (cmg25@psu .edu), Chris Mullin (camullin@psu .edu), and Neal Williams (nmwilliams @ucdavis.edu. The conference agenda, registration, and abstract submission information is available on the Web site, www.ento.psu.edu. —R. Lehnert www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER March 15, 2013 21