How We Grow

influential Honey Bee Best Management Practices for Almond Growers, which is considered state-of-the-art guidance in agriculture. "He was a huge mentor for the almond industry, including in developing the bee best practices," Curtis said. "He helped us create them and edit them, but if you dig deeper, he taught us what those best practices were and the background for them." In the tributes that have come since his death, the descriptions "passionate," "intelligent" and "knowledgeable" are constants. So are "honorable" and "kind." He constantly read literature, followed any new science, and worked to understand developments and the people in the industry. "I remember one of my first meetings with him and thinking, 'Wow, the amount of knowledge this man has,'" Ludwig said. "It was both deep and broad. But it was also the way he shared that knowledge. It wasn't high-handed or lecturing. There was a certain amount of amusement to go with it. He took his responsibilities seriously, but he kept a lightness and a friendly collegiality. He was glad to be asked questions, and he was going to help people figure them out." Mussen joined the UC Davis entomology department in 1976 and retired in 2014, then continued consulting, advising and answering questions until his death. His research focused on managing honey bees and wild bees for maximum field production while minimizing pesticide damage to pollinator populations. His mission was to create trusting and genuinely helpful communications among researchers at UC Davis, commercial beekeepers, growers and anyone else interested in bees. Along the way, Mussen gave practical information to growers and beekeepers of every kind from professional to small hobbyists. He often talked to 20 beekeeping organizations a year plus other groups and conferences. He wrote and published a bimonthly newsletter called "From the UC Apiaries" and topical articles called "Bee Briefs." He helped create the Western Apicultural Society, serving as president six terms, and was a scientific advisor to the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center. He was happy to help media and was interviewed by the Lehrer NewsHour, BBC, Good Morning America, NPR's Science Friday, The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Los Angeles Times, among others. Mussen was a member of ABC's Honey Bee Task Force, advising the ABC Production Research Committee on what honey bee research to fund. And he advised Christy Heintz at ABC to help develop Project Apis m. Maybe almost as important for Mussen, for years he conducted the California State 4-H Bee Essay Contest and helped organize the honey tasting at UC Davis' Picnic Day. Of course, Mussen wasn't just about bees. There was a little be-bop in him, too. For years, he sang with a doo- wop group based at the Davis Art Center. Mussen's list of professional honors from peers is staggering. They include the 2006 California Beekeeper of the Year award, the American Association of Professional Apiculturists' 2007 Award of Excellence in Extension Apiculture, the 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension from the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America, the 2010 statewide Pedro Ilic Outstanding Agricultural Educator, the 2013 Alexander Hodson Graduate Alumni Award from the University of Minnesota, and the 2013-14 Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Extension from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. But the most resonant part of his legacy is not the honors, or even the respect he earned as a global authority on honey bees. It is the relationships he created and nurtured with growers, consumers, UC farm advisors, agricultural commissioners, scientists, beekeepers, researchers, pesticide regulators, 4-H'ers, and national, state and local ag and apicultural groups. "He got along with everyone," said Curtis. "He would help everyone with any kind of problem or any kind of question, whether it was large and complex or very basic. And the way he would help them created so much trust. It seemed pretty clear that he saw the bee industry as his family, and he took care of them." Family and friends celebrated the life of Eric Mussen on Sunday, Aug. 28, at the Putah Creek Lodge on the UC Davis campus. Almond Board of California 14

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