B.I.G. Bee Impact Grant

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BEE IMPACT GRANT Each year MCBA gives a Bee Impact Grant (B.I.G.) to a person or group positively impacting honey bees. We need your donation to help our honoree continue their important bee work. The 2024 B.I.G. Awardee is SAM DROEGE!  Scroll down to see how same will use the grant.

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BEE IMPACT GRANT

MCBA’s 2024 Bee Impact Grant (B.I.G.) recipient will be SAM DROEGE.

Please DONATE NOW to support his important work.  This  fundraiser will close December 31, 2024.  100% of funds collected will go to Sam' project.

WHO is Sam Droege?

Sam is a Wildlife Biologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center, a division of the U.S. Geological Survey. WHAT does Sam do? From his offices and field lab in Laurel, Maryland, Sam advises researchers around the world on how to track and monitor bees. This is critical work because “to know the status of bees you must find and count them.”

HOW will Sam use the grant?

Sam’s professional wishlist includes researching which flowering bushes and shrubs best support bees. MCBA’s Bee Impact Grant will fund this pilot program, to be conducted in Maryland and Washington, D.C. The methodology developed during this project will be given to researchers and citizen-scientists in other locations, so we can better understand plant-bee relationships globally.  One goal of this new project is to list various flowering bushes and shrubs in one of  4 general categories, based on their level of nectar and/or pollen support bees. LEARN WHICH PLANTS:  * Support no bees  * Support honey bees but not native bees  * Support native bees but not honey bees  * Support both honey bees and native bees To determine if and when plants in our area help bees, Sam will use his B.I.G. funds to hire and train a lab assistant. The lab assistant will visit the National Arboretum in D.C., and the Germplasm Center Research Lab, in Beltsville, to capture, catalog, and count bees, while recording on which plant the foragers were found. The collection process will continue all spring, summer and fall of 2025, since plants blossom at different times.

WHY is Sam's work important to beekeepers? 

  1. Local beekeepers and gardeners can use the findings to make wise planting decisions, and can confidently enlist friends and family to choose bee-friendly plants.  For example, the very beautiful double petal cherry tree cultivar is virtually useless to bees.  We’ll also be able to choose the correct mixture of plants, to ensure beneficial blossoms appear in spring, summer, and fall.
  2. Recently, beekeepers and honey bees have been in the news, accused of negatively impacting native bees. Sam’s lab develops the tools researchers need to investigate this, and they are discovering that honey bees and native bee species “can live together nicely.” With Sam’s research, we can learn which trees and shrubs to plant to provide more resources for our bees and native bees.

MORE on Sam:

Sam’s lab has collected 650,000 bee specimens, including 11,648 honey bees. He photographs select bees with special equipment that captures astonishing, microscopic detail. All his photos are public domain, You can download and use them however you like at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/   The collection of Maryland bee photos is https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/collections Learn more about Sam’s Lab:  https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eesc/science/native-bee-inventory-and-monitoring-lab You can also see a wonderful short video about Sam and his lab at https://www.usgs.gov/media/videos/usgs-native-bee-inventory-and-monitoring-lab-eastern-ecological-science-center Sam’s profile page: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/sam-droege

Meet Sam in-person:

at MCBA's March 12, 2025 meeting.
(BTW,  Droege is pronounced [drō-ghee] It rhymes with “Hoagie”)

 

Your B.I.G. donation will help people help bees.

    MCBA is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity EIN 61-1628144 Check with your tax advisor to determine your possible tax deduction. The tax deduction is limited to the excess of your contribution over the fair market value of any items received in exchange for the donation. STEPS to donate online:

  1. Click “Choose Amount to Donate”
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To Donate by Check:
Please make checks payable to 'MCBA' .  In the Memo write "Donations for ____ "
Mail to: Montgomery County Beekeepers' Association MCBA Treasurer 1531 Rockville Pike #1069 Rockville, MD 20852

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