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Honey bee research and education center dedicated at Texas A&MTexas The honey bee, long recognized as a beneficial and necessary ally of American agriculture, now will be the point of interest of a new research and education facility at Texas A&M University. Dozens gathered Feb. 20 to dedicate the Janice and John G. Thomas Honey Bee Facility on the Riverside Campus at Texas A&M in College Station. The 6,500-square-foot center will host a range of research projects and serve as a teaching laboratory for students, as well as for both professional and amateur beekeepers, officials said. The building will house research that delves into honey bee biology and efficiency as a pollinator, said Kevin Heinz, Ph.D., who heads the entomology department at Texas A&M's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Honey bees play a critical role in nature and agriculture, Heinz said, as they are vital pollinators of gardens, landscapes and crops. "Billions of dollars of agriculture hinge on honey bee activity," Heinz said. In addition to researchers, the facility will house the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, an entity of Texas AgriLife Research, an agency of the Texas A&M System. The inspection service enforces Texas bee laws enacted to help maintain healthy honey bee populations. "The new facility will provide a new long-overdue home for the Texas Apiary Inspection Service," Heinz said. The facility, Heinz said, is the result of persistence and contributions made by the Thomases, the Texas Beekeepers Association, the Heep Foundation of College Station, AgriLife Research and Texas A&M's entomology department.
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