Subject: Help save the bees by supporting UMD crowdfunding project

Description:
Dear CMNS faculty, staff and graduate students—

For several years, beekeepers have experienced high annual colony losses.
These losses endanger our food supply because honey bees are responsible for
every third bite we eat and their pollination efforts are valued at $15
billion annually.

To alert beekeepers of escalating health problems in their hives in real
time, University of Maryland researchers are launching a sentinel hive
program throughout the state of Maryland. Sentinel hives act as early warning
systems by alerting beekeepers of trouble in time for them to intervene
prevent further damage to bee colonies.

You can help support this project through the university's new crowdfunding
program called Launch UMD. Researchers and students led by Entomology’s
Dennis vanEngelsdorp hope to raise $8,000, which will support the
construction, placement, monitoring and data analysis of eight sentinel hives
across the state of Maryland. The hives will allow beekeepers to step in
before colonies reach a critical tipping point, staving off colony losses.

You can learn more about this project by visiting http://ter.ps/6v2.

The team’s crowdfunding campaign runs through October 22. You can support
the team at any time by visiting ter.ps/bees. Contributions are
tax-deductible.


Contact Person: Abby V. Robinson, Ph.D.
Contact Email: [log in to unmask]