Protecting Thailand’s Migrating Giant Honey Bees
Wednesday, Apr. 8, 7:00 pm
Whitney Academic Center Room 153. Free.
With Will Robinson, Emeritus Biology Instructor at Casper College
Abstract
On sabbatical in 2009 in northwestern Thailand, Will Robinson witnessed a remarkable phenomenon that scientists had never seen: a place where numerous groups (“bivouacs”) of giant honeybees gather simultaneously during long migrations. The site is an orchard at an agricultural research station on the Pai River. Dozens of colonies use the stopover site every fall. Will and his wife, Maria Katherman, returned three more autumns to study the bees.
In addition to giant honeybees, three other honeybee species (genus Apis) native to Thailand utilize the same location for nesting, feeding and defense against predators.
This unique stopover site is clearly worthy of recognition and protection well into the future. Consulting with Worldwide Fund for Nature International (WWF) officials in the U.S. and Thailand, Will and Maria agreed that a sensible beginning point was to erect sturdy interpretive nature signs at the site. In 2023, with financial aid from WWF and much local assistance, the couple managed the construction and placement of signs, which highlight the importance of the site for all four Apis species.
Biosketch
Will Robinson received a Ph.D. in entomology from Cornell University in 1980, specializing in the study of honeybees. Through the 1980’s he worked overseas on apiculture and crop pollination problems as a consultant and specialist for agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. and the U.S. Agency for International Development. In 1988 he conducted a congressionally mandated study documenting the value of honey bees to agriculture in the U.S.
In 1991 he began teaching at Casper College, retiring in 2020. He taught a variety of biology-related courses for CC and for the University of Wyoming. On sabbatical in fall, 2009, Robinson began studies in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, on the behavior of three species of honeybees. He returned to Mae Hong Son in the autumns of 2010, 2016 and 2023 to focus on the migratory behavior of giant honeybees.
Will lives on a ranch along the North Platte River with his wife, Maria Katherman, plus dogs, cats, chickens, horses, and of course, honeybees.