Benjamin (Ben) Powell

Extension Associate, Apiculture and Pollinator Program
Horticulture Program Team, Abbeville County Cooperative Extension Office, Aiken County Cooperative Extension Office, Allendale County Cooperative Extension Office, Anderson County Cooperative Extension Office, Bamberg County Cooperative Extension Office, Barnwell County Cooperative Extension Office, Beaufort County Cooperative Extension Office, Berkeley County Cooperative Extension Office, Calhoun County Cooperative Extension Office, Charleston County Cooperative Extension Office, Cherokee Count

Office: Pee Dee Research and Education Center
Phone: 843-662-3526

Email: bpowel2@clemson.edu

Educational Background

M.S. Entomology - Arthropod Biodiversity
Clemson University 2007

B.S. Biology
Wofford College 2001

Profile

For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by the natural world and the interactions of its inhabitants, especially the smaller majority (insects and other invertebrates). I believe that conservation and wise use of natural resources is essential to preserving ecosystem services, especially in developing communities, and the public has a vested interest in protecting pollinators and other invertebrates for the critical roles they play in maintaining agriculture and ecosystems. As the Apiculture and Pollinator Program coordinator, my primary goal is to provide educational resources for South Carolina's beekeepers and expand appreciation for all insects and invertebrates, especially those that pollinate South Carolina's farms and forests.

I focus my education and outreach programs on two areas: 1) advancing apiculture and beekeeping and 2) improving public awareness about the importance of pollinators and invertebrate biodiversity.

Research Interests

- Apiculture and beekeeping
- Pollinator habitats and conservation
- Invertebrate taxonomy and ecology
- Control of invasive species
- Wetland conservation and ecology

Extension and Outreach

- Clemson Apiculture and Pollinator Program Website
- Clemson's Pollinator and Invertebrate Conservation Facebook Page
- Clemson Apiculture & Pollinator Program monthly newsletter (CAPPings)
- Advanced trainings for Beekeepers, Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists
- Pollinator Habitat Demonstration Plots
- 4H Honey Bee Project
- 4H Introduction to Entomology

Publications

- Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa Mandarinia) and Yellow-legged Hornet (Vespa Velutina), Potential Pests of Honey Bees
- Africanized Honey Bees and South Carolina Apiculture
- Swarms of Honey Bees
- Clemson Apiculture and Pollinator Program website
- Shorescaping Freshwater Waterfronts
- Floating Wetlands
- Armadillos in SC
- SC Stormwater Pond Management Website
- Invertebrates Associated with Waterhyacinth Rafts and Descriptions of the larvae of Neochetina bruchi and N. eichhorniae

Links

South Carolina State Beekeepers Association
Pollinator Partnership
Eastern Apicultural Society
Bee Informed Partnership
Clemson 4H Honey Bee Project