Construction begins at MSU Entomology’s new Pollinator Performance Center

Meghan Milbrath<milbrat2@msu.edu> - April 06, 2022

March 19, 2022 - Demolition has begun to remove stalls used for large animal research to make room for the new honey house, which will include a hot room, a honey extraction system, bottling tanks, and clean storage for extracting honey from research and extension hives. Photo by Meghan Milbrath, MSU Entomology.

In March, builders began to convert an existing facility on MSU Campus farms into the new MSU Pollinator Performance Center. A partnership among the Department of Entomology, MSU AgBioResearch and MSU Extension provided the initial funding to support the most urgent needs such as the honey extraction facility and a staff locker room. The final building will be home to the honey bee farm facility, space for teaching and outreach along with research labs.

The farm building will include a fully operational honey extraction facility and controlled climate rooms for indoor overwintering research. The planned phase II construction will also include research labs, a teaching classroom and space for extension events.

Landscape plans are also underway for pollinator gardens and a fully accessible teaching space to complement the hundreds of trees planted by MSU Infrastructure, Planning and Facilities in May 2021.

The Pollinator Performance Center will significantly expand MSU’s capacity for research, teaching and extension. The farm facility will allow researchers to manage enough colonies to perform field trials and potentially develop a breeding program. The close proximity of hives to classrooms, research labs and pollinator plantings will allow faculty and extension educators to expand their programming and ensure MSU remains at the forefront of honey bee and other pollinator research.

MDARD at PPC June 2021 — Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development inspectors receive training from MSU Extension educators at teaching hives in the new Pollinator Performance Center in 2021. The new space increases opportunities for training and education for many more stakeholders. Photo by Ana Heck, MSU Extension/Entomology.

To read more about the facility, see New on-campus center to serve as hub of MSU pollinator research, teaching, outreach.

Please support our efforts by giving to the Pollinator Performance Center Building Fund, or by contacting MSU University development.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).