UMBC HoneyBee Research Lab

Help Equip UMBC's Brand-New Honey Bee Research Lab and Protect the Future of Honey Bees

I am excited to announce I will be starting a new honey bee lab at UMBC. All of my ongoing research will follow me during this transition. The lab will primarily focus on viruses and pesticides, both which broadly impact honey bee health. Work in 2026 will include pesticide synergisms and impacts of Imidacloprid on worker bees and queens. Additionally, the lab will work directly with beekeepers, providing disease diagnostic services and direct extension within the Mid-Atlantic region. This is an amazing opportunity, but I will need beekeeper support to really drive the success of the lab. The department is providing abundant lab space and all departmental resources in support of the new lab. However, the lab will initially be on soft funds, requiring supportive research grants and donations. Beekeepers can have an outweighed impact on research and the lab through early contributions. The highest impact and most meaningful contributions are in support of equipment. These initial funds allow for immediate research into viruses and pesticides while setting the lab up for success years to come. If your club or business has within it’s budget support of research, please contact me. The lab needs to make some big purchases including:

• Imager for rtQPCR = $30,000
• Ultra-low freezer = $15,000
• Refrigerated centrifuge = $16,000
• Micro injector = $9,000
• Small miscellaneous lab supplies = $8,000

Small donations across clubs can be truly meaningful. While our overall goal of $100,000 will allow us to purchase the full suite of equipment needed, every contribution, at any level, moves us closer to supporting critical virus and pesticide research. Gifts from multiple clubs can also be pooled together to make a high-impact purchase. In this way, several clubs can collectively sponsor a piece of equipment and play a direct role in advancing this work. Please feel free to share this with your member bee clubs or any businesses that make charitable contributions. Every gift helps strengthen the health and future of our bees and our community. For additional information, please email zlamas1@umbc.edu

All contributions are administered by the UMBC Foundation, Inc., for the benefit of UMBC.