In February 2025, HelEx contributed to the annual conference of the Working Group of the Institutes for Bee Research, one of the most important European gatherings for scientists studying honey bees, wild bees and other pollinators. The event brings together researchers from public institutes, universities and extension services working on pollinator health, ecology and interactions with agriculture.
Salena Husband (Julius Kühn-Institut, JKI) represented HelEx with a presentation on the impact of sunflower floral resources on pollinator health, sharing early results from field experiments and literature review work conducted within the project. This contribution was part of a broader body of HelEx work investigating how sunflower varieties shape bumble bee colony development and bee nutrition.
For HelEx, engaging with this community is crucial because the project’s success depends on rigorous biological evidence linking sunflower diversity to pollinator outcomes. Sharing results with experienced bee scientists strengthens the robustness of HelEx findings and accelerates their uptake in the wider pollinator research and protection community.
