The Louisiana Beekeepers Association is excited to announce the scholarship award recipients for 2026.

Cynthia Ogbu, a PhD candidate with Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, received $5,000 from the LBA’s Honey Bee License Plate Scholarship Fund for her research topic, “Industrialization and Honey Bee Health in Louisiana: Connecting Trace Metal Exposure to Colony Survival, Physiology, and Resilience.” She will be looking at heavy metal accumulation in bees and hive products, trying to determine how exposure to heavy metals influences honey bee health in industrialized landscapes relevant to Louisiana beekeeping.

Dr. Alexandria Payne, a postdoctoral researcher with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, received $5,000 from the Margaret Prell Memorial Fund to fund her research topic, “Breeding selection for reduced colony defensiveness via marker assisted selection.” Dr. Payne’s goal is to develop and test the first application of genomic marker-assisted selection (MAS) for a behavioral trait in honey bees and provide a practical genetic tool that helps breeders select for calmer, less defensive bees. By reducing defensiveness through MAS, she aims to make high-performing stocks such as the Russian honey bee more accessible and acceptable to commercial beekeepers.

Both scholarship award recipients will be working closely with researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Station Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research facility in Baton Rouge. Results from Ogbu and Payne’s research will be shared with Louisiana beekeepers at the 2027 LBA Annual Convention. We congratulate both winners and look forward to hearing about their research in 2027.

Applications for LBA’s scholarships may be submitted between January 1 and April 30 of each year. Scholarships are awarded in June. For more details on LBA scholarships or if you are interested in serving on the scholarship committee, please contact LBA members, Stacy Blomquist (fsbuglady@gmail.com) or Sammy Ramazani (mramazani2000@gmail.com).

The Louisiana Beekeepers Association accepts proposal applications for two scholarships every year between January 1 and April 30 with the award period from May 1 - May 31. 1) The Honey Bee License Plate Fund provides financial aid for graduate AND postgraduate students enrolled in a Louisiana postsecondary institution working on applied honey bee research projects with USDA ARS, and 2) The Margaret Prell Memorial Fund supplies funding for all other applicants, including youth, interested in honey bee research. Details provided in the application.  All applications are due by April 30. 

Ever thought about becoming a beekeeper? Nola Ducote tells us what the process involves!

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How many colonies are in Louisiana? Kathy Broussard with the USDA Agricultural Survey talks about the latest NASS Agricultural survey at the Louisiana Beekeepers Association 2022 convention.

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Services is the Official Statistical Agency of the USDA with the mission to provide timely, accurate and useful statistics in service to U.S. Agriculture.

Click the link or photo for video

For more information on the Census of Agriculture go to:  www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus  or contact Kathy Broussard, LA State Statistician at:  Kathy.Broussard@usda.gov.

Thank you for visiting the LBA website. Here is a condensed list of what we do and the benefits of becoming a member. Every dollar of your $20 annual membership helps to support the LBA in providing educational opportunities to beekeepers across Louisiana and neighboring states. Thank you for your support!

• Spring Field Day: Beekeeping Education and Hands on Experience
• Fall Field Day: USDA Honey Bee Lab and Research Scientists
• Annual Convention: Multiple Talks for Hobbyist and Commercial Beekeepers
• Involvement in Legislative Issues and LDAF Regulations
• Sponsors Community Outreach Programs
• Board Members Represent the LBA in State, Regional and National Organizations
• Sponsors and Maintains a Website and Newsletter
• Supports Educational Programs and Research Projects at State and National Universities
• Administers Two Annual Honey Bee Scholarship Funds 
• ALL Board Members are Volunteers Receiving No reimbursement For Their Time Serving Members

(June 4, 2021) – Today, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) unanimously determined that there is a reasonable indication that unfairly traded imports of raw honey from Argentina, Brazil, India, Ukraine, and Vietnam are injuring the U.S. industry producing raw honey.
 
Today’s unanimous decision means that the ITC will continue to investigate the injury inflicted on the U.S. raw honey producers by low-priced imports, and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) will investigate the extent to which imports from the five countries are being sold below fair value in the U.S. market.  

“Today’s affirmative preliminary determination of injury is incredibly important to American beekeepers,” said Alan Luberda of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, counsel to the U.S. raw honey producers.  “Dumped imports of raw honey from Argentina, Brazil, India, Ukraine, and Vietnam have been underselling domestic raw honey by substantial margins for several years, depressing domestic prices and making it difficult for U.S. beekeepers to earn a living.  This is a critical step in obtaining much-needed relief for U.S. beekeepers.”

Background
 
On April 21, 2021, the American Honey Producers Association (AHPA) and Sioux Honey Association (SHA) filed petitions with the ITC and DOC for relief from dumped imports of raw honey from Argentina, Brazil, India, Ukraine, and Vietnam.  The American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) also supports the trade cases.
 
On May 18, 2021, the DOC published a notice initiating the investigations in the FederalRegister, with estimated dumping margins of 9.75 to 49.44 percent for Argentina, 83.72 percent for Brazil, 27.02 to 88.48 percent for India, 9.49 to 92.94 percent for Ukraine, and 47.56 to 138.23 percent for Vietnam. 
 
DOC is scheduled to issue preliminary determinations of dumping in mid-November, at which point preliminary duties will go into effect, and importers will be obligated to begin paying cash deposits at the time of importation.

McNeese State University is doing its part to help promote the benefits of bees as pollinators through a partnership with local beekeepers and the Harold and Pearl Dripps School of Agricultural Sciences with the introduction of a bee program at the McNeese farm.

The goal is to not only educate McNeese students but also agriculture producers and the community about the benefits of bees as pollinators for food and agriculture crops, the value of wildflowers and plants that provide food for bees and the honey which is produced by the hives, according to Dr. Chip LeMieux, school director.

enrolled in Animal Science 101 are learning about bees in relation to the agriculture industry, including their importance as pollinators and how this impacts the food system and the serious threats currently facing bee populations today.

Farm manager Darrin Goodwin says that not only was the bee program initiated as a way to introduce students to beekeeping, but the school is also excited about potentially applying for research grants and developing a graduate program involving the beehives.

“We understand and appreciate what bees do for our environment and Louisiana has an especially good climate for bees, giving McNeese a unique opportunity to contribute to the research in this area,” says Goodwin.

This, he adds, is especially important as bee populations continue to suffer from ailments like Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), in which worker bees mysteriously abandon their hives, young and queen. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, since CCD first appeared in the United States in 2006, it has contributed to an annual loss of 30 to 60 percent of beehives across the country. “The bee shortage has rippled through the agriculture industry, causing significant economic impacts,” says Goodwin.

Local beekeepers Ronald Ellis, Larry Kebodeaux, Gena Miller and Steve Harrell have donated equipment, hives and over 25 years of combined expertise to get the bee program off the ground. “It’s been my dream for years for McNeese to have a bee program,” says Ellis, who worked with Goodwin to get the program launched.

During the course, students learn from these volunteers about the process of commercial honey production and receiving hands-on experience in harvesting, extracting and bottling honey produced at the farm.

According to Goodwin, honey is now available for sale at the McNeese CAMPP (Center for Advancement of Meat Production and Processing) store in Room 121 of Gayle Hall, along with fresh cuts of beef, sheep and pork processed at the CAMPP facility in Lacassine. For information more information, call the school at 475-5690.

“Proceeds from the honey sales will go towards developing the bee program and paying for supplies,” says Goodwin.

Beekeeper Kebodeaux sees working with the program as an investment for the future of beekeeping. “This is something that benefits everyone. Bees are really struggling now and this new program at McNeese can make a big difference. Maybe research done here in the future will help discover a cure for CCD. It’s a win-win for the bees and McNeese.”

The 57th Annual Louisiana Beekeepers Association Convention is in Sulphur this weekend and several participants including state agriculture officials will tour McNeese’s bee hives at the farm.

https://www.mcneese.edu/events/mcneese-bee-program/