by Véto-pharma Understanding, observing and protecting bees requires far more than laboratory research. In beekeeping, innovation often emerges directly in the field, in close contact with the colonies. At Véto-pharma, the experimental apiary is a true space for applied research where new protocols and solutions for bee health are tested and evaluated. Behind every trial is a team working closely together, combining scientific expertise and practical beekeeping experience.
The apiary slowly comes to life as the first bees leave the hive for their first flight of the day. Around the colonies, the Véto-pharma beekeeping innovation team gathers to set up a new trial. With notebooks, equipment and protocols in hand, everyone knows exactly the role they must play.
At the experimental apiary, innovation is above all a team effort. Each research project brings together complementary skills: scientific thinking, beekeeping expertise and technical know-how, and field observation.
Together, Rémi Padé, Gaël Charpentier and Sébastien Cano turn this apiary into a true open-air laboratory.
Rémi Padé, Bee R&D, technical and Innovation Manager, leads development projects aimed at supporting bee health.
His role is to source new molecules and design the trial protocols that will be implemented in the experimental apiary: defining research objectives, selecting the indicators to monitor, and structuring the experimental conditions required to obtain reliable and usable results.
However, these protocols only take on their full meaning once applied in the field. Rémi therefore works closely with Gaël and Sébastien to adapt trials to beekeeping realities and to monitor colony development.
The observations carried out in the apiary then feed into the scientific analysis conducted by Rémi, creating a real dialogue between fieldwork and research.
As manager of Beekeeping, Gaël is at the heart of the experimental apiary’s operations. He joined Véto-pharma in 2014, just a few weeks after its establishment.
His expertise ensures rigorous management of the colonies used in the studies. He makes sure that comparable conditions are maintained between hives so that trials can generate reliable results.
Colony strength, brood development, population dynamics and parasite pressure are all monitored with precision.
Gaël also plays a key role in coordinating work in the apiary. In constant contact with Rémi and Sébastien, he ensures that each protocol is applied under the best conditions and at the most appropriate time of the beekeeping season.
As a beekeeping technician, Sébastien works directly on the hives to carry out the trials.
Daily, working closely with Gaël, he prepares the colonies, applies the experimental treatments, performs varroa mite counts, and collects the data required for analysis.
His work requires both precision and scientific rigor. Each manipulation is carried out according to a protocol defined and validated beforehand with the team.
Sébastien is an essential link between trial design and field implementation, transforming scientific protocols into real-world observations.
At the Véto-pharma experimental apiary, research progresses with the rhythm of the seasons… but above all with the rhythm of teamwork.
This close collaboration creates a true bridge between field observations, scientific challenges and the generation of robust data, guiding the development of innovative solutions for bee health.
by Véto-pharma 
by Véto-pharma 
by Véto-pharma 
