Key Takeaways:
- Since the world is full of busy bees working hard to collect pollen, Dr. Sarah Wood was interested in studying how bees respond to disease and insecticides and how they support crops.
- Dr. Wood said that the disease might be treated by administering antibiotics that veterinarians prescribe to beekeepers to treat damaged colonies.
- With the assistance of two other staff, Dr. Wood founded the lab in 2015, and his new position ensures its continuous usage.
Dr. Sarah Wood wanted to study how bees respond to disease and pesticides and how they support crops since the world is full of bustling bees working hard to acquire pollen.
Dr. Wood has been appointed to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s new University of Saskatchewan Research Chair post.
She wants to concentrate on the well-being of pollinators because they are crucial to agricultural sustainability and food production.
“Only honey bees pollinate two-thirds of the world’s major food crops. According to Dr. Wood, they provide essential services to our ecosystems and contribute $5.5 billion worth of pollination services to Canadian agriculture each year.
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Pollinators are necessary for plants to thrive and produce crops because of the everyday effort they make. Honey bees are the pollinators that have the biggest effect on agricultural productivity worldwide.
European Foulbrood is a bacterial disease that they have been examining in particular.
The disease can spread among the colony’s larva and adult bees. Dr. Wood explained that the sickness could be controlled by treating damaged colonies with antibiotics that veterinarians prescribe to beekeepers.
Dr. Woods’ job was made possible by money, which came from a five-year funding promise from:
$250 000 goes to the Saskatchewan Beekeepers Development Commission.
BASF – $250,000.
$150,000 SaskCanola.
Blueberry Council of British Columbia: $50,000.
$50k was given to Manitoba Canola Growers.
Dr. Wood stated, “I just think sharing that knowledge and understanding about the relevance of pollinators to our ecosystems and agriculture are very exciting and makes me so glad to go to work every day.
This is the 1st veterinary institution in North America to include a program for teaching and researching honey bees.
The causes of pollinator death need to be better understood. The Western College of Veterinary Medicine Dean stated that pollinators are crucial to agriculture and biodiversity.
The dean of Western College said she was overjoyed to learn that Dr. Woods wanted to participate.
She had the motivation, enthusiasm, and genuine passion for working on improving ecosystem health and assisting agriculture, according to Muir.
Dr. Wood established the lab with the help of two other employees back in 2015, and his new role ensures the lab’s continued use.
Source: Global News
