8A the university daily kansan
news
wednesday, march 31, 2004
Bee expert thrives at University
Former professor studies wild bee species' evolution
By Samia Khan
skhan@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
It was on a warm spring day, when winter coats return to the back of closets, that Charles Michener began his research of local bees. After coming to the University of Kansas in 1948 as a professor of entomology, he began his study of solitary bees near Potter Lake. It is the first species of bee to emerge every spring.
Michener's lifelong interest in bees began early and has taken him around the country and globe, earning him national recognition. The distinguished professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology has studied bees in South America, Australia and Africa. Now, after retiring more than a decade ago, Michener continues his research from an office in Snow Hall.
"The University hasn't kicked me out vet." he said.
Michener has spent half of his time researching the social behavior of solitary and small colony bees and the other half classifying thousands of species. He has tried to focus his work on the types of bees that receive little attention, instead of highly social bees like the honey bee.
Abbv Tillerv/Kansar
The Bees of the World, Michener's book classifying nearly 16,000 of the 20,000 species of bees, won him the Association of American Publishers R.R. Hawkins Award in 2000.
Steve Ashe, senior curator in charge of entomology for the Natural History Museum, said even after retiring, Michener continues to be a crucial member of the community.
ity on the systematics and evolution of wild bees." said Ashe.
"He is simply the world author-
Dr. Charles Michener, professor of emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology, began his career at the University of Kansas in the 1940s. He has studied the social aspects of bees for several years.
Michael Engel, Michener's colleague, said Michener's work continues to bring grants and recognition to the University and attracts students. Michener provides valuable advice and guidance to students in the entomology department said Engel, associate professor in the division of biological sciences.
Michener's interest in bees began decades ago when he was 8 years old. He began by painting and drawing plants and insects near his hometown in southern California. He took note of a small black insect that visited each summer. He eventually identified it as a bee and began focusing on collecting bees.
When he was in high school, Michener began corresponding with the leading bee expert in the country, T.D.A. Cockerell at the University of Colorado. Michener was a senior in high school when Cockerell invited him to study bees for a summer at his house in Colorado.
"By this time I was stuck on bees." Michener said.
After completing his Ph D. thesis on bees, he had a post in the Army during World War II, working on mosquito control and studying ways to stop a chigger-born disease affecting troops in the South Pacific.
He has worked only once with the more widely known honey bee, specifically honey bee species known as the African killerbee.
Michener's study of bees is primarily with solitary and small colonies of bees. He finds nests in the ground, picks out each bee and paints a dot of a different color on each bee for identification.
Michener he hated the term "killer bee." He said the African bees don't set out to kill. African bees are simply more aggressive, part of which could be
blamed on humans and human destruction, he said. In Africa the bees are only aggressive where there are large human populations.
While studying the African honey bees Michener was in an environment with highly aggressive bees swarming all around him. But he said he and the other researchers knew what they were doing and wore proper protection.
"We were just like space men in white suits," he said.
Michener said he had been stung very few times. He protects his fingers with rubber when handling bees. Most of all he said bees are not dangerous, and only sting when they are provoked.
Michener said a small swarm of a 1,000 bees once landed on his leg. He gently brushed them away.
"They needed a place to nest, and they must have thought I was a tree trunk," he said.
Edited by Stephanie Lovett