Long before the “Save the Bees” movement, Dr. Jamie Strange has been an advocate for the bees. Throughout his career, Dr. Strange has been working to understand how aspects of bee health impact their conservation. His research focuses on the things that make each species of bee sick, the parasites that attack them, and environmental changes that affect them. Little did he know that his life would be changed in ways he never imagined, and the bees he worked so hard to save would be a saving force in his life. I’m a Professor in the Department of Entomology. I have an active research lab where I mentor four graduate students and two post-docs. I teach a course in pollinator conservation and a study abroad on the history of evolutionary thought. I came to OSU in 2019 after working for USDA-ARS Bee Lab in Logan, UT for 13 years as a research entomologist. Originally from Pennsylvania, I went to Penn State for undergrad before attending graduate school and studying honey bee health and genetics at Washington State University. My current research focuses on bumble bees, their biology, parasites, and population genetics. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx