Dr. Jeff Pettis, Honey Bee Health Expert, Joins Terra Vera as a Technical Advisor
Agtech innovation company expands the reach
of its bee protection and health optimization solutions
Albuquerque, NM (May 15, 2024) — Agriculture technology innovator Terra Vera is proud to announce that Dr. Jeff Pettis, a renowned entomologist who specializes in apiculture and honey bee health, has joined the company as an advisor and industry consultant.
The appointment of Dr. Pettis coincides with Terra Vera’s expanding research and initiatives to preserve bee colonies, which are often threatened by the pesticides used during commercial agriculture. The company recently published two field studies on the efficacy of its amino acid-based solutions in promoting bee health and reducing colony collapse.
In his role as a consultant for Terra Vera, Dr. Pettis will assist with the development and expansion of the company’s suite of products to optimize bee health and protect against common threats to bees and other pollinators, such as parasites, pesticide poisoning, poor nutrition, and disease.
Honey bee colonies have experienced severe declines in recent years, with nearly half of managed colonies lost in the United States in 2023, the second-highest death rate on record. However, Terra Vera is developing an amino acid-based solution that has shown positive capabilities against the Varroa destructor mite, the number one threat to honey bees worldwide. Testing to date has demonstrated the solution’s efficacy and has not resulted in mortality or negative effects on the health of the bees. Terra Vera is seeking EPA approval for use.
“I’ve dedicated my entire career to studying honey bees and identifying viable solutions to address the various threats to their health and survival,” said Dr. Pettis. “Until Terra Vera, I had yet to come across a transformative technology that can dramatically improve colony health and survival rates both safely and sustainably – something that is not only crucially important to beekeepers, but also invaluable to the wellbeing of our ecosystems and global food security. I am impressed with the organic nature of the Terra Vera product, as we need more organic options to use in beekeeping.”
As a research scientist and consultant at Pettis and Associates LLC, Dr. Pettis has focused his area of expertise on improving colony health by limiting the impact of pests, diseases, and pesticides on honey bees. Dr. Pettis has worked with both the EPA and FDA to bring new products through the registration process for bees and beekeepers.
Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Dr. Pettis served as the research leader of the USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, MD. His research areas include IPM techniques to reduce the impacts of parasitic mites and disease, effects of pesticides, pathogens, and temperature on queen health and longevity, host-parasite relationships, and bee behavior.
Dr. Pettis has consulted with several international committees or organizations, including the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). With more than 40 years of research experience in more than 15 countries, he is frequently tapped by the media for his opinions on the worldwide decline of pollinator populations and honey bee health. Dr. Pettis received his doctoral degree in entomology from Texas A&M University and holds undergraduate and MS degrees from the University of Georgia.
Terra Vera’s foray into bee protection with Dr. Pettis’ guidance could not come at a more critical time, with the population of honey bee colonies continuing to spiral downward, after plummeting by more than 30% from 1989 – 2008. Within the last year, according to the USDA, honey bee colonies for operations with five or more colonies in the United States on January 1, 2023, totaled a mere 2.68 million colonies, down 7% from January 1, 2022.
“It is an honor to have someone as highly esteemed and knowledgeable in bee health and preservation as Dr. Jeff Pettis on the Terra Vera team,” said Carlos Perea, CEO and Co-Founder of Terra Vera. “Our company was founded on the mission to provide scalable agricultural solutions to minimize loss while optimizing yield in ways that are cost-effective, eco-friendly, and safe for bees and other essential pollinators needed to sustain global food supplies and the at-risk ecosystems we rely on.”
For more information about Terra Vera, its technology and services, please visit terravera.com.
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About Terra Vera
Terra Vera is a technology company dedicated to making agriculture more environmentally and economically sustainable. The company specializes in crop management solutions that replace conventional chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, which are linked to environmental damage and the decline of bees and other pollinators vital to global food supplies. Terra Vera’s biomimicry technology provides growers and beekeepers with all-natural solutions that are cost-effective, scalable, and generated on demand. For more information about Terra Vera, visit terravera.com.
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