Pathogen transmission from honey bees to wild bees has been attributed as one of the major negative impacts that managed honey bees have on wild bee populations. Among the many pests and pathogens that attack honey bees, the varroa mite and its associated virus, deformed wing virus (DWV), are most abundant and detrimental to honey bee health. The synergistic interactions between this virus and varroa mites have increased the amount of DWV in honey bees […]
I visit pumpkin farms across Pennsylvania to investigate host-pathogen dynamics in bee communities. In pumpkin fields, we typically see three bee species foraging – honey bees, wild bumble bees and wild squash bees. Haven’t heard of squash bees before? These are incredibly important, solitary bees that specialize on the pollen of pumpkin and squash. In fact, they are some of the best pollinators for pumpkin crops in Pennsylvania! Unlike social honey bees and bumble bees […]
Honey bee colonies have been in decline in recent years due to many factors, including lack of high-quality nutrition, exposure to pesticides, and pressure from pests and pathogens. Infestations of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor play a large role in these staggering colony losses. These mites feed on the fat body and hemolymph of bees, and in the process, they transmit a cocktail of viruses that weakens the individuals and eventually the whole colony. For […]
The Entomological Society of America is hosting its annual meeting virtually this year due to the pandemic. Check out the talks that members of our lab will be presenting during the next 2 weeks! All talks are pre-recorded and available on-demand! Engaging young audiences into scientific discourse through beekeeping activities Robyn Underwood, Brooke Lawrence, and Margarita López-Uribe. Talk on-demand: https://cdmcd.co/gbvRRj Pathogen dynamics between managed and wild bee populations in agroecosystems Laura Jones, Ginamaría Román-Echevarría, Kristen […]
Wednesdays @4PM (EST) – 1h 15 min via zoom; weekly from November 4th to December 16th Join us for the Beekeeping Winter Webinar Series organized moderated by Tom Butzler, Robyn Underwood, and Margarita López-Uribe from Penn State Extension. These six webinars will cover a number of timely topics about beekeeping biology, basic and advanced management practices. The series of 6 webinars series will take place weekly on Wednesdays from 4 PM to 5:15 PM […]