[Pollinator] For Immediate Release: POLLINATOR PARTNERSHIP AND BURT'S BEES FUND RESEARCH PROPOSALS RELATED TO HONEY BEE HEALTH

[R. Thomas Van Arsdall]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
					      
Contacts:  Tom Van Arsdall (703) 509-4746 tom at vanarsdall.com 
           Kat McGuire (415) 362-1137 km at coevolution.org  

POLLINATOR PARTNERSHIP AND BURT'S BEES FUND RESEARCH PROPOSALS RELATED TO
HONEY BEE HEALTH 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA February 26, 2008 - The critical disappearance of bees,
called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), is still a mysterious threat to honey
bees, the foundation of pollination services in agriculture. The Pollinator
Partnership and its North American Pollinator Protection Campaign/NAPPC (a
tri-national coalition dedicated to promoting the health of all pollinators)
is teaming up with bee-friendly, natural personal care company Burt's Bees
to address this agricultural and environmental issue.  Their most recent
collaboration has provided funding to five teams of scientists whose
collective goal is to research issues surrounding honey bee health, an area
heretofore sorely lacking funding despite media attention.  

Burt's Bees, which funded the Pollinator Partnership's creation of a task
force dedicated to honey bee health issues in 2007, provided funding to
create the grants.  Proposals were selected by members of the Honey Bee
Health Improvement Task Force (a list of members and more information at
www.pollinator.org/honeybee_health.htm).  Nineteen eligible proposals were
received from applicants all around North America, totaling more than
$200,000 in funding requests.  The caliber and diversity of the proposals
speak to the importance of and need for honey bee health research.  In
response to the program selection, John Replogle, President and CEO of
Burt's Bees said, "As a bee-friendly company, we know the critical role bees
play in our ecosystem.  We are proud to support this task force and believe
these projects will take the appropriate steps to improve the quality and
lives of bees."

"The NAPPC Honey Bee Health Improvement Project supports first-rate
scientists in their search to keep honey bees healthy," said Pollinator
Partnership Executive Director, Laurie Adams.  The Chairs of the NAPPC Honey
Bee Health Improvement Project are Dr. Christina Grozinger, Dr. Barry
Thompson, and Danny Weaver, past president of the American Beekeepers
Federation.  Adams added, "On behalf of the Co-Chairs and the scientists
exploring the variables of environment, nutrition, pesticides, and stock
improvement, we thank Burt's Bees for their vital support."

Honey Bee Health Improvement Co-Chair Dr. Christina Grozinger was impressed
by the quality of proposals submitted.  "These proposals are excellent
examples of the holistic approach that is needed to address the complex
challenges facing beekeepers," said Dr. Grozinger.

Grants supporting five research proposals will be awarded, and funding is
actively being sought for three more.  The one-year grants cover a broad
range of honey bee related topics such as the effects of climate or
environmental variables, the effects of nutrition on honey bee physiology
and/or colony health, the effects of sublethal doses of pesticides
(including miticides) on honey bee physiology and/or colony health, and
genetic stock improvement.  A list of proposals that have been awarded
follows:

.	"Assessment of sublethal effects of imidacloprid on honey bee and
colony health" (University of Maryland Foundation; Dively and Embrey)
.	"Diagnostic gene panel for honey bee breeding and disease
management" (USDA-ARS Bee Research Lab; Evans and Chen)
.	"Effects of miticide and Fumagilin-B on honey bee survivorship and
immune responses" (Acadia University; Little, Shutler, and others)
.	"Changes in hormonal and protein levels in honey bees that are
experiencing migratory transportation" (Michigan State University; Huang)
.	"Nutritional effects on intestinal health and longevity of honey bee
workers" (University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Rueppell)

"The Honey Bee Health Task Force and NAPPC applaud the generosity and wisdom
of Burt's Bees," said Honey Bee Health Improvement Project Co-Chair Danny
Weaver.  "Burt's Bees has enabled funding for important studies that should
contribute to improved honey bee health and thereby ensure the delivery of
critical pollination services.  Unfortunately, even Burt's Bees' generous
initial gift is insufficient to fund all of the deserving proposals, and the
Honey Bee Health Task Force and NAPPC will continue to seek other
contributions to fully fund all the proposed investigations."

The Pollinator Partnership works to promote awareness and scientific
understanding of pollinators; gather, organize and disseminate information
about pollinators; provide a forum to identify and discuss pollinator
issues; and promote projects, initiatives and activities that enhance
pollinator conservation.  For additional information about the Pollinator
Partnership, visit www.pollinator.org.   

####
R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Public Affairs Representative for Coevolution
Institute/Pollinator Partnership/NAPPC
For More Information, http://www.pollinator.org  

Van Arsdall & Associates
P.O. Box 8512
Fredericksburg, VA  22404-8512
PH:  (540) 785-0949
Cell:  (703) 509-4746
tom at vanarsdall.com