Enhancing Honey Bee Populations with Sustainable Queen Production Practices for Oregon Beekeepers

Project Overview

OW26-002
Project Type: Professional + Producer
Funds awarded in 2026: $84,999.00
Projected End Date: 04/30/2029
Grant Recipient: Oregon State University
Region: Western
State: Oregon
Principal Investigator:
Ellen Topitzhofer
Email
Oregon State University
Co-Investigators:
Dr. Ramesh Sagili
Email
Oregon State University
Dr. Tim Delbridge
Email
Oregon State University

Commodities

  • Animals: bees

Practices

  • Animal Production: genetics, livestock breeding
  • Crop Production: beekeeping, pollination, pollinator health
  • Education and Training: farmer to farmer, technical assistance, workshop

    Proposal abstract:

    Enhancing Honey Bee Populations with Sustainable Queen Production Practices for Oregon Beekeepers is a project focused on improving regional queen supply and reducing dependency on imported queens. Our objectives include establishing three regional apiary hubs in Oregon to distribute regionally adapted queen breeding stock and host hands-on training workshops. We will also develop an economic case study to assess the financial feasibility of queen production. Through these objectives, we will identify and address queen production knowledge gaps and other common barriers in queen production practices, while producing educational tools for beekeepers via multiple pathways, including developing new content within the Oregon Master Beekeeper program and creating new educational materials such as video tutorials, infographics, and technical guides.

    In collaboration with OSU scientists and economists (Corvallis, OR), extension specialists (Oregon Master Beekeeper program), regional queen production experts (Santa Fe, NM), and Oregon beekeepers, this project will provide beekeepers with practical tools to enhance their queen production capabilities, and in turn, expand local queen production and increase economic sustainability for beekeepers across the region.

    Project objectives from proposal:

    1. Establish and distribute regionally adapted breeding stock through regional apiary hubs.

    2. Use an experimental training model to identify regional knowledge and production gaps in queen rearing.

    3. Develop a production cost case study and budget to assess and communicate the financial feasibility of queen production for beekeeping operations in the Pacific Northwest.

    4. Create new educational materials for existing educational programs.
    5. Develop new queen production protocols and extension resources.
    6. Measure increased queen supply and reduced demand for queens.
    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.