Science award honors SFU
research work on honey bees

HONEY BEES have many
more responsibilities than
buzzing around flowers and
cavorting with birds. We re-
ly on them to pollinate over
$10 billion worth of ‘crops
every year in North
America. Their effectiveness
. in this role is essential to
our agricultural success or

failure.

Authorities on this subject are
Mark Winston and Keith Slessor
of: Simon Fraser University’s
departments of biological sciences
and chemistry, respectively.

Named winners of a 1992 Brit-
ish Columbia Science and

. Engineering Gold Medal for Nat-
ural Sciences, Winston and Slessor
have investigated a new method
for increasing crop production
through natural pollination.

Together they have isolated,
identified and synthesized the
pheromones, or chemical attrac-
tants, of the honey bee queen.

This accomplishment, along
with defining the authoritative
role that these pheromones play in

» honey bee colonies, has resolved a

.Environment
There is no way around

‘it, but there are some things
we can do as. drivers to

‘reduce the pollutants that

- our vehicles generate.
Environment Canada makes a
“number of suggestions in its What
We Can Do For Our Environment
booklet. Among them are:
‘@ turn off the engine white
-waiting for someone
@-don’t idle the engine for a long
time, even after a cold start; 30
seconds is more than adequate

mystery that other researchers
have been trying to unravel for at
least 30 years.

Winston and Slessor’s remark-
able work on queen bee
pheromones is already being ap-
plied successfully on a commercial
basis by B.C. farmers.

Bee-attracting pheromone
sprays have shown net profit in-
creases of $1,000 per hectare in
pear orchards and up to $4,500
per hectare in cranberries.

Pheromones are also used to at-
tract queenless swarms, to delay
the onset of swarming, to stimu-
late workers to collect more pollen
and to rear more brood to
enhance queen production, and to
transport queenless worker bees
without their becoming an angry
mass.

These additional uses for
pheromones promise to revolu-
tionize current beekeeping ° prac-
tices,

Originally from Ohio and now
residing in New Westminster,
Mark Winston received his B.Sc.
in biology in 1971 from Boston
University, his Masters in marine
biology from the same institution
in 1975 and his PhD in en-
tomology in 1978 from the Uni-
versity of Kansas.

Keith Slessor was born in the
Comox valley and grew up in
Ladysmith, B.C. He obtained his
B.Sc. in chemistry and physics in
1960 and his PhD in organic
chemistry in 1964 from the Uni-
versity of British Columbia.
Maple Ridge, B.C. bas been his
home for more than a decade.

For their outstanding contribu-
tions to science and to the
agriculture industry in 8B.C.,
Winston and Slessor were honored
at the B.C. Science, and Engineer-
ing Awards Dinner in Vancouver
on Oct. 20.

The B.C. Science and Engineer-
ing Awards were established’ in
1980 by the Science Council of
British Columbia to ensure that
men and women from B.C. whose
achievements are making a
significant contribution to scien-
tific knowledge receive recognition
for it.

Suggestions for future winners
should be sent to the Communica-
dons Department, Science Council
of British Columbia, Suite 800,
4710 Kingsway, Burnaby, 8.C.
V5H 4M2.

The nomination deadline for the
1993 B.C. Science and Engineer-
ing Awards is March 31, 1993.

booklet offers suggestions

@ block heaters can help reduce
air pollution by reducing the time
‘it takes for your engine to reach
its most efficient operating
temperature

@ avoid jack-rabbit starts
because they waste gas. Smooth

‘acceleration pollutes jess and saves

fuel

@ drive at moderate speeds; most
cars use about 10% less fuel when
they are driven at 90 km/h rather
than 100 km/h

‘@ avoid carrying excessive weight

in the trunk; your car will burn

FINALLY A BED THAT SITS AND SLEEPS WELL

| + Available in fabric & leather
A + * Over 70 styles in stock
: * Non-sagging bed slats

° Storage inside

Goad price ~ Seis ey hey . setting cinta

more fuel
@ plan your trips before you
leave the house so you take the
shortest route

There are.of course alternatives
to using the automobile, including
public transit.

Other alternatives include car or
van pools, walking or cycling.

Friday, October 30, 1992 - North Shore News - 17

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