POLLINATORS PROVIDE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CROP POLLINATION ANNUALLY, AND PARASITES HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN DECLINES OF MANY BEE SPECIES. NUTRITION, INCLUDING DIET QUALITY AS WELL AS QUANTITY, IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN BEE HEALTH. WE FOUND THAT SUNFLOWER POLLEN DRAMATICALLY REDUCED CRITHIDIA INFECTION IN BUMBLE BEES AND NOSEMA INFECTION IN HONEY BEES, SUGGESTING THE POTENTIAL FOR SUNFLOWER POLLEN SUPPLEMENTS AND PLANTINGS AS EASILY-IMPLEMENTED APPROACHES TO IMPROVING BEE HEALTH. OUR RESEARCH GOALS ARE TO EVALUATE THE BENEFITS AND COSTS OF SUNFLOWER POLLEN SUPPLEMENTS ON BEE COLONIES, ASSESS THE IMPACTS OF SUNFLOWER POLLEN SUPPLEMENTS ON PATHOGEN RESISTANCE IN THE FIELD, AND DETERMINE THE DEGREE TO WHICH SUNFLOWER PLANTINGS AFFECT PARASITE INFECTION IN BEES. EACH OBJECTIVE WILL INCLUDE BUMBLE AND HONEY BEES, AND HONEY BEE OBJECTIVES WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BEE INFORMED PARTNERSHIP DATA AND DIRECTLY INCLUDE BEEKEEPERS IN ASSESSMENT. IN ADDITION TO DIRECTLY ENGAGING BEEKEEPERS IN OUR RESEARCH,EXTENSION GOALS INCLUDE HIRING A POLLINATOR EXTENSION EDUCATOR WHO WILL USE A NEW STATE APIARY, ENGAGING AN ADVISORY BOARD REPRESENTING DIVERSE STAKEHOLDERS, AND CONDUCTING A WIDE RANGE OF OUTREACH ACTIVITIES TO REACH LOCAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL AUDIENCES. OUR PROPOSAL IS DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO PRIORITY 1, DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF STRATEGIES TO REDUCE POLLINATOR DECLINES CAUSED BY FACTORS SUCH AS HABITAT CHANGES OR LOSS, NUTRITIONAL IMBALANCES, PATHOGENS... THIS RESEARCH WILL OPEN UP NEW MECHANISMS TO MANAGE BEE HEALTH VIA DIET MANIPULATION AND FORAGING OPTIONS, USING SIMPLE APPROACHES THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE AND APPLICABLE TO A DIVERSITY OF STAKEHOLDERS.