WHY THE CARL HAYDEN BEE RESEARCH CENTER
AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA AS A MEETING SITE?

 The Carl Hayden Bee Research Center at Tucson, administered by the Agricultural Research Service, USDA, has an international reputation for excellence in honey bee and crop pollination research.  The Center houses facilities for the investigation of bee behavior and biology, and crop pollination.  It's research mission is to improve crop pollination and honey bee colony productivity through quantitative ecological studies of honey bee behavior, physiology, pests and diseases, and feral honey bee bionomics.  The research program is problem oriented and based on the premise that all research is conducted in support of the public good by improving agricultural productivity and preserving the quality of live.  Bee research at Tucson has been conducted since 1939, when the Department established a field station.  The current facility houses seven scientists on a 5.3 acre tract about 5 miles from the University of Arizona main campus.  Current research emphasis at the center is focused on Africanized honey bees and varroa mites.

 As a result of the most recent, pronounced range expansion of the Africanized bee, Tucson is located near the epicenter of the current distribution of Africanized honey bees in the United States.  Both varroa and tracheal mites are well established in Arizona having been first detected in 1993 and 1988 respectively.  Known for it's production of high quality Mesquite honey, Arizona ranks among the top ten states in the production of citrus, cotton, fruits and nuts, melons, seed, and vegetables.  The producers of many of these crops rely on honey bees for pollination.

Located in the heart of Tucson on 352 acres, The University of Arizona is one of the top ranked research universities in the nation. Surrounded by mountains & the high Sonoran desert, the campus boasts a distinctive look dotted with bountiful cactus & palm trees and enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine each year. Approximately 35,000 students are enrolled at UA, coming from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries.

Entomology has been an Department in the College of Agriculture since the opening of the University of Arizona in 1891.  The Department of Entomology has an internationally renowned faculty with research interests ranging from physiology to phylogeny. The Department of Entomology offers several programs of study leading to both Masters and Ph.D degrees. The University also offers an interdisciplinary graduate program in insect science.

The Center For Insect Science at the University of Arizona is a multi-campus, multi disciplinary program  fostering collaborative research and education on a broad array of topics dealing with insect science. It is not a traditional academic department. It is not responsible for any faculty or students and has no physical location. Rather, the Center is a non-exclusive "umbrella" organization in which everyone interested in insects can participate. Research interests of scientists associated with the Center for Insect Science represent a multitude of disciplines that range over most areas of modern biology, from molecular genetics to sociology.