The University of Vermont has won more than $100,000 in grant money from the Environmental Protection Agency to help the agency's efforts to protect the nation's ailing bee population.
The EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs awarded $131,758 to UVM for a study that seeks to increase the efficiency of pesticide applications, making it possible for farmers to apply less bee-harming pesticide while still protecting their crops.
The university is tasked with finding a way to increase crop yields on 75 acres of hops, according to an EPA release, while reducing pesticide applications.
An EPA overview of the program says it will "specifically benefit hop growers in the Northeast by providing them with research-based integrated pest management tools."
