Bee Squad and Extension

Students wearing bee quad shirts look at jars of honey at the State Fair.
A group of people in protective gear examine a frame with bees.
Close-up of two bees facing each other.

The Bee Squad program was founded in 2011 by Dr. Marla Spivak to be the outreach and public facing branch of the Honey Bee Lab.  Our priority is to support high quality research and offer educational programming about bees. We educate beekeepers on the importance of keeping their bees healthy, by teaching them seasonal beekeeping techniques and pest and disease management.  We participate in native bee research projects and provide education about pollinators to the public. The Bee Squad team partners on a diverse array of projects with Extension Educators Katie Lee and Elaine Evans, and collaborates with the Spivak Honey Bee Lab, the Cariveau Native Bee Lab, and the Schroeder Virology Lab.