UC Davis Bee Haven Coordinator Receives Research Grant to Study Honey Bee Nutrition

Samantha Murray, education and garden coordinator of the UC Davis Bee Haven and a bee specialist, has just received a grant from the El Dorado Beekeepers (EDB) to support her research on how nutritional supplements affect honey bee health and colony performance. 

Jim Guilliams, president of EDB, and his wife, Debbie Katz, secretary of EDB, recently toured The Haven--the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's half-acre public demonstration garden on Bee Biology Road--and presented her with a check. 

“I’ll be investigating how different dietary supplements influence the health and survival of caged honey bees, with the goal of generating insights that can be applied to colony-level management,” Murray said. “The project will track bee health, survival, and feed intake. Findings will be shared with beekeepers and used to help improve practical beekeeping strategies that enhance colony health, productivity, and resilience against environmental and disease-related stressors.”

"Bee losses nationwide are particularly bad this year," according to UC Davis Bee Haven Director Elina Lastro Niño, professor of UC Cooperative Extension, Apiculture; a key member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT) faculty; and the founder and director of the UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP). "This past winter the nation's beekeepers lost 1.1 million bee colonies. Since 2006, beekeepers have reported average annual colony losses of up to, and in some cases above 50 percent, threatening the stability of our food supply."

Guilliams, a 30-year beekeeper who has achieved the journey level of CAMBP,  the second highest level, said that "Promoting science driven education is very important to our bees and beekeepers. Too much unproven information is being dispersed throughout our communities which increases mortality among all our bee populations.  We are happy to support projects from the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, the leader in our region in the field of entomology and bee research."

Guilliams described Murray's grant submission as "outstanding," adding that "her research topic is centered on nutritional supplements and how they affect honey bee health.  The outcome of this research will contribute to healthier colonies with higher survivorship. We are happy to award our 2025 research grant for $1000 to Samantha, and we thank her for doing this important work."

EDB is a 501(3) (C) organization providing science-based education to its members and improving beekeeping information through the support of bee science. 

 "We annually donate money to bee research and community organizations that teach the importance of bees in our lives," Guilliams noted.  "EDB has members from throughout the Sierra foothill community in central California and we strive to provide them with the best science-based bee and beekeeper education. We have approximately 150 members in our club, extending from Sacramento's 6-foot elevation to South Lake Tahoe's 6300-foot elevation. So there is a lot of diversity in climate, etc., within our club area."

Vital Resource

The UC Davis Bee Haven, installed by ENT in the fall of 2009, is known as a vital resource for pollinator education, research, and conservation. More than 200 native plants thrive in the garden, which is located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. UC Davis Distinguished Emeritus Professor Robbin Thorp (1933-2019) recorded more than than 80 species of native bees at the site.  They range from the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, to the metallic green sweat bee, Agapostemon texanus.

A key art attraction in the garden is the six-foot-long ceramic-mosaic worker bee sculpture by self-described "rock artist" Donna Billick of Davis, who served as the co-founder and co-director of the UC Davis Art-Science Fusion Program with UC Davis Distinguished Professor (now emerita) Diane Ullman of ENT. 

Researcher, Beekeeper, Pollinator Garden Specialist, Alumna and Musician

Samantha, a member of the E. L. Niño lab, and known as "Sam," is a bee researcher, beekeeper, a pollinator garden specialist, a UC Davis alumna, and a harpist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music (2025) from UC Davis.  Throughout her UC Davis career, she performed with the Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Flute Choir and the Harp Ensemble.

Sam became involved with the UC Davis Bee Haven in the summer of 2024 when she served as a lab technician at the Laidlaw facility for Richard Martinez, a graduate student in the E. L. Niño lab. “I was assisting with his research on nutritional diets for bees,” she related. 

Samantha, who grew up in Sonoma County,  traces her interest in bees to age 7, when she joined a Girl Scout Brownie troop. Her interests soon expanded to pollinator gardens and beekeeping. She became a beekeeper as a sophomore at Santa Rosa High School, and served as president of the Santa Rosa High School Beekeeping Club for three years. She subsequently joined the Sonoma County Beekeepers’ Association and the California State Beekeepers' Association.

Conservation Works

Murray interned with Conservation Works, a non-profit organization based in Santa Rosa that fosters environmental awareness and action, seeking “tangible efforts in pollinator protection, water conservation, climate resilience, and the development of sustainable communities.” 

“Within this encouraging setting, I collaborated with Girl Scout troops across Sonoma County, embarking on projects to establish bee-friendly gardens to support local pollinators," Murray related. "This immersive experience ignited within me a profound fascination and connection with bees that would later grow to deepen my interest in apiculture and the greater biology of bees.” 

In the summer of 2021, Samantha received the Girl Scout Gold Award, equivalent to the Eagle Scout award, the highest rank in the Scouts BSA program. In her project, Samantha “addressed the critical lack of knowledge surrounding bees by developing informative presentations aimed at educating youth about the significance of pollinators. By delving into topics such as bee welfare, environmental improvement, and the intricacies of the bee world—from pollination to beekeeping and communication—I sought to bridge this educational gap. To make learning about bees interactive and engaging, I curated bee activity kits containing exciting projects like crafting clay seed bombs for flower planting. These presentations covered a spectrum of bee-related topics, including pollination, bee-friendly planting, metamorphosis, and the vital roles bees play within the hive.” 

While at Conservation Works, Samantha designed and implemented pollinator gardens, and educated the public, including “the young ones” on the importance of pollinator gardens. She participated in an episode of the Imagine If podcast, co-sponsored by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and the National Geographic Society. 

Opening of The Haven

The public opening of The Haven took place on Sept. 11, 2010 when hymenopterist Lynn Kimsey,  now a UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emerita, chaired the department, and when Missy Borel Gable (now director of the University of California Master Gardener Program), served as the garden's inaugural director.  Also in 2010, Sacramento Bee selected The Haven as one of the top 10 public gardens in the region.  

The Haven is open to the public from dawn to dusk. Admission is free throughout the year, as is the first hour of parking on weekdays, according to the UC Davis Transportation Services. Parking is always free on weekends.

The Haven’s only financial support is through public donations. "Every dollar goes directly toward maintaining the garden, supporting educational programs, and ensuring a thriving future for pollinators," said Cari DuBois-Wright, Director of Development, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Donations can be made through the website at https://beehaven.ucdavis.edu/donate  or by contacting DuBois-Wright at (530) 752-6971 or caduboiswright@ucdavis.edu.