The 2010 Annual Report from the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) at the University of Sussex is now available online at http://www.sussex.ac.uk/lasi/sussexplan/progressreport

The report provides an interesting update on Prefessor Ratneiks’ bee research which is in the following four research areas:

1.  Breeding disease-resistant honey bees and providing breeder queens to beekeepers; 
2.  How good is the British countryside for honey bees? Decoding dances to determine where worker honey bees are foraging; 
3.  Honey bee foraging in novel environments;
4.  Helping honey bees and insect pollinators in urban areas.

Reading the report made us think that we will be in for a fascinating evening at next year’s Leaver Lecture. Eagle-eyed readers will note that both Associations are already noted as donors – this relates to tea money donations sent to LASI in 2009 (after the joint meeting that Rob and Jo Nickless hosted) and in 2010 (after the VDBKA meeting in Didcot).