About Dr. Garett Slater-

B.S. North Dakota State University
M.S. North Dakota State University
Ph.D. Purdue University

Garett has 18 years of beekeeping experience. He leads the statewide Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Apiary Program and supervises the activities of three honey bee program specialists in Dallas, Angleton, and San Antonio.

As the Honey Bee Extension Specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, his primary role is to deliver extension services and applied research tailored to the needs of beekeepers, promoting sustainable practices and economic development of beekeepers. This includes communication and involvement with beekeepers via webinars and presentations, specialized courses, and articles. The topics of these communications ranged broadly, including fundamental scientific concepts and practical areas of interest.

Additionally, he manages the Texas Master Beekeeper Program, which offers training modules for beekeepers across Texas. His one interest in extension and applied research focuses on honey bee breeding and genetics, which are key components of sustainable integrated pest management and honey bee population health. Presently, he is leading a study to develop modern breeding tools with the aim of helping breeders enhance the health and survival of honey bee colonies. This work is dependent on a collaborative group of Texas queen breeders, that produce 30% of US queens.

He has also a long history of communication and involvement with beekeepers via webinars and presentations, specialized courses, and articles. The topics of these communications ranged broadly, including fundamental scientific concepts (e.g., genetics, breeding, reproductive biology) and practical areas of interest (e.g., integrated pest management, queen production, disease management).

Garett’s current research focuses on developing cheap genomic tools to help beekeepers select bees for natural defenses towards Varroa, pathogens, and other diseases. Additionally, Garett will provide extension support to beekeepers across the state.