Risto Raimets

Risto Raimets is a Research Fellow in Applied Entomology at the Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMU), Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Chair of Plant Health. His expertise lies in sustainable plant protection, agroecology, and ecosystem services, with specialized focus on pollinator health and the impact of agricultural practices on bees.

Born on March 26, 1991, Raimets completed his Doctor's Degree at EMU in 2019, following a Master's (2015) and Bachelor's Degree (2013), all in landscape protection and preservation. His doctoral research examined "Exposure effects of synthetic and biological pesticides on honey bees and bumble bees" under the supervision of Marika Mänd and Reet Karise.

Raimets' research focuses on complex interactions between agricultural chemicals and pollinator health. He investigates how pesticides, diseases, and environmental stressors impact honey bees and bumble bees, with particular attention to queen development, colony health, and synergistic effects of multiple stressors. His work bridges fundamental entomological research with practical applications for sustainable agriculture. He has developed university courses on "Sustainable Beekeeping" and "Honey Bee Diseases, Parasites and Pests - Their Biology and Control," reflecting his commitment to education and knowledge transfer.

His recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on European-scale pollinator research, including pesticide exposure pathways, innovative diagnostic tools for bee health assessment, and large international collaborations across multiple European countries addressing transnational pollinator conservation challenges.

• Tartu conference ambassador (2023)
• Aasta mesinik/Beekeeper of the Year (2022)
• Dora Plus scholarship for Nordic-Baltic Apicultural symposium (2018)
• ASTRA Value chain bioeconomy scholarship for Eurbee 8 conference (2018)
• Dora Plus scholarship for ICCPR conference (2017)
• Kristjan Jaagu Scholarship for Eurbee 7 conference (2016)

Raimets actively supervises graduate students, including doctoral candidate Kaarel Pent and several Master's students. He served as WP1 Coordinator for the Horizon2020 Project "PoshBee" in Estonia and managed the "Forbee" project focused on bee loss mitigation. His research is supported by multiple national and international grants from the Estonian Research Council, European Commission, and Ministry of Rural Affairs.

As President of the European Association for Bee Research (2022-2024), Raimets coordinated European bee research efforts and organized major international conferences, including serving as main organizer of the EurBee 10 Congress of Apidology.