Location
The 8,200-square-foot Laidlaw facility is located on Bee Biology Road, two miles west of the central campus. The address is:
1 Bee Biology Road, Davis, CA 95616Contact
To contact a lab within the facility, please visit their website and reach out directly. Contact the facilities manager here.
The Laidlaw facility, founded in 1969, is the largest and most comprehensive state‐supported apiculture facility in North America and the only one in California. We provide leading cutting‐edge research focusing on basic bee biology and genetics, addressing international concerns about bee health, and meeting the needs of California’s multibillion dollar agricultural industry.
Our expertise includes honey bee management, nutrition, breeding and genetics, and native bee biology. We are uniquely qualified to investigate declining populations of honey bees, native bees and other insect pollinators and to provide solutions.
The facility is named after Harry Hyde Laidlaw Jr. (1907-2003), considered the father of honey bee genetics.
Facilities
The Laidlaw facility contains a wet lab, multipurpose classroom, machine shop, honey processing room, and graduate student rooms. The research and education apiary behind the facility accommodates more than 80 colonies, in addition to 6 other apiaries located near campus. East of the facility is the UC Davis Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee friendly garden to open to the public. The goals are to provide bees with a year-around food source, raise public awareness about the plight of honey bees and encourage visitors to plant bee-friendly gardens of their own.