By Cynthia M. Portalatin
Florida A&M University (FAMU) Professor Lambert H. B. Kanga, Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2021 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) “Bright Idea” Award from the Friends of Southern Region IPM’s Center for Excellence.
Kanga has pioneered the development of a successful microbial control strategy (patent pending) for Varroa mite, the most destructive pest of the honeybee. The Southern IPM Center recognized him for his extraordinary achievements in the mitigation of the honeybee colony collapse disorder affecting crop pollination, a $24 billion-a-year industry in the United States.
“The novel findings of this cutting-edge research have been translated into several languages around the world and have provided new, environmentally friendly avenues for managing key pests of honeybee colonies,” said Kanga, who is also director for the FAMU Center for Biological Control.
He will be officially presented with a plaque recognizing his outstanding contributions at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America on March 31.
“Bee health is critical for the success of pollination-based agriculture in the U.S., and Dr. Kanga’s unique contribution is a great testimony to the high impact of his research and novel discoveries as related to honeybee health and management, and we are elated to have such a talented faculty in our College,” said Robert W. Taylor, Ph.D., FAMU CAFS dean and director of Land-Grant Programs.
The Southern IPM Center’s program recognizes extraordinary achievement in Research, Extension, and Implementation of IPM in the Southern region of the U.S. Serving as the hub of a multi-state partnership and communication network linking researchers, growers, extension educators, commodity organizations, environmental groups, pest control professionals, government agencies and others, it is one of four regional centers funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to promote IPM.
From its home office in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Southern IPM Center serves 13 Southern states, and two territories: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, the U. S. Virgin Islands, and Virginia. For more information, visit the Center online at: https://southeripm.org.
