The University of Toledo Lake Erie Center is hosting a free, public event about the benefits of honeybees in northwest Ohio and current efforts to curb decreasing colony numbers.

Roger Myers, president of the Maumee Valley Bee Keepers Association, will present “The Truths and Myths About Colony Collapse in Honeybees” at 7 p.m. today at the UT Lake Erie Center as part of the Naturalist Night summer lecture series.

“Honeybees pollinate a lot of the fruits and vegetables we eat,” Myers said. “It’s estimated that three out of every five bites of food you take can be contributed to some type of pollinator.”

Attendees will learn what they can do to help preserve struggling bee colonies in northwest Ohio.

“The bee population in our area is in jeopardy,” said Rachel Lohner, education program manager for the Lake Erie Center. “They are an important part of our ecosystem.”

The UT Lake Erie Center is an interdisciplinary research and education center dedicated to solving environmental problems in the Great Lakes. The Naturalist Night summer lecture series is part of the Lake Erie Center’s mission to engage the public with environmental education, sustainable living and informed outreach awareness programs.

For more information, call 419.530.8360 or visit utoledo.edu/nsm/lec.

Tags: Lake Erie Center