Bees are about to become bigger business at Bayer CropScience with a 6,600 square foot hive of activity located in the Triangle.
The company, which operates its North American headquarters in RTP, plans to open a North American Bee Care Center next July in RTP.
Ground for the new facility will be broken in February.
The center is the latest addition to the company’s growing presence in the Triangle. It recently opened a large, $20 million state-of-the-art greenhouse.
“We understand the necessity for healthy bees as pollinators and their critical role to agriculture, and by working with scientists, growers, beekeepers and customers, we strive to create new approaches and solutions to benefit bee health and the global food supply,” said Jim Blome, chief executive officer of Bayer CropScience North America. “Because we are aware of the challenge to continue feeding a growing world population, our Bee Care Center will be a vital resource in our ongoing commitment to maintaining sustainable agriculture.”
The center is designed to be “a gathering place for researchers, bee experts, students and other visitors to meet regularly with leading Bayer scientists.”
Bayer already operates a Global Bee Care Program.
Highlights of the new center will include:
- “Full laboratory and research apiary, as well as honey extraction and workshop space needed to conduct bee health research and to support a practical apiculture. The research will focus on Integrated Pest Management for the multiple causes affecting bee health, such as parasites, like the Varroa mite, predators, diseases, seasonal management, and environmental stressors
- “The active promotion of bee-responsible use of Bayer products along with communication activities worldwide
- “State-of-the art meeting, training and presentation facilities for beekeepers, farmers and educators to provide resources and an interactive learning center.”
