Contributor of the Year
Contributor of the Year is awarded at our annual meetings to a member who has substantially helped the orchard bee industry through their work and advocacy. Winners of this award are nominated and voted on by OBA members. Scroll through our past winners to learn how people are helping to imrpove the Orchard Bee Industry.
2024
Abigail tracks the spread of Houdini Fly, a major parasite of Osmia lingaria in the Pacific Northwest, and uses data from around the region to understand how bee populations will be affected by parasitism over time. Her work is helping us understand the impacts of Houdini Fly spread, and informing us on how to prevent further incidence.
Abigail Lehner
2023
Lindsie works directly with almond growers in California to improve Osmia lignaria management for almond bloom. She was awarded contributor of the year for her research on how regional populations O. lignaria bees perform differently when moved to California for pollination. Her work highlights the importance of sourcing your bees from nearby regions, and highlights the ways Osmia lignaria may respond to environmental change.
Lindsie McCabe
2022
Ellen Klomps spent many years developing Osmia lignaria rearing and research methods that are now the gold standard. While at the Logan Bee Lab, Ellen was the Go-To for understanding and interpreting X-rays of developing Osmia bees, both an art AND a science. Congratulations on your retirement Ellen!
Ellen Klomps
Lifetime Achievement Award
Orchard Bee Association members are honored with the lifetime achievement award to recognize consistent efforts and substantial progress made serving the Orchard Bee Industry over the span of an entire career. This award is offered on a case-by-case basis, usually when a member is near retirement or has recently retired.
Theresa was awarded the OBA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 for dedicating a career to developing Osmia lignaria management strategies as a Research Entomologist at the USDA ARS Logan Bee Lab. Her work has transformed Orchard Bee management, especially in California almonds. With over 3500 citations, Theresa’s work is widely known and constantly admired among Osmia researchers.