The latest news from the Georgia Tech Urban Honey Bee Project

Bee Project Moves to Kendeda Building

In October 2019, the Georgia Tech Urban Honey Bee Program moved the bulk of operations to the new Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design (a few hives will remain on the CULC roof). The facility was built with pollinators in mind and includes an outdoor "class/lab" on the green roof where beekeeping classes and beekeeping activities will take place. The roof is planted with blueberry bushes and flowers that will benefit from bee pollination this spring. There is also an indoor lab where the BeeSNAP and Living Building Science teams from the Georgia Tech Vertically Integrated Projects program will be meeting. We are so grateful to the Kendeda Fund and Georgia Tech for creating the perfect new facility where our students can study bees and other pollinators!

Kendeda fund representatives and family with the Georgia Tech bees at the building dedication in October 2019. (L to R: Nancy Blank, Dena Kimball, Diana Blank, Kenny Blank, Josh Kimball)

Great New Podcast

Looking for something fun and interesting to listen to? The fabulous folks at the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory have a new podcast called Two Bees in a Pod...Cast. You can listen to it on any of your favorite streaming services (i.e. Apple podcasts or Spotify).

On their first episode they answered listener questions about oxalic acid, small hive beetle traps, and parasitic mite syndrome. If you have questions you can ask them on their Facebook page or on Twitter.

Winter Open House in the Kendeda VIP lab

Drones for Drones Seminar

Julia Mahood, Georgia Master Beekeeper and past president of the Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association, will be presenting a demonstration of her new citizen science project "Map My DCA" from 10:55-11:45am in room 210 Kendeda at Georgia Tech.

Map My DCA is a project designed to track honey bee mating areas (also known as Drone Congregation Areas or DCAs) using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or mechanical drones). Learn about honey bee mating, how the project works, and how you can help!

Spring Events

1/17 - 10:55am Intro beekeeping class and hive inspection, Kendeda 280

2/4 - 10:55-11:45am Drones for Drones Seminar, Kendeda 210

2/20 – 10:55am Intro beekeeping class, Kendeda 280

3/14- Atlanta Science Festival Event: Animals in Motion at Zoo Atlanta

4/2 - 10:55am Intro beekeeping class and hive inspection, Kendeda 280

4/17- 3pm Intro beekeeping class and hive inspection, Kendeda 280

Bee Tower

Volunteers from Decatur Makers constructed a tower from scrap materials left over from the living building construction project. The tower is based on similar designs seen in public gardens in France, and is designed to create an entrance to the hive above the heads of people who might be working in the garden. We will be experimenting with the tower this spring. Special thanks goes to Shannon McCullough from Decatur Makers and Jimmy Mitchell from Skanska construction for making this happen.

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