Research Project: Quantifying and Reducing Colony Losses from Nutritional, Pathogen/Parasite, and Pesticide Stress by Improving Colony Management Practices

Location: Carl Hayden Bee Research Center

Publications (Clicking on the reprint icon will take you to the publication reprint.)

Do diet and Fumagillin treatment impact Vairimorpha (Nosema) spp. (Microspora: Nosematidae) infections in honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and improve survival and growth of colonies overwintered in cold storage? - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Comparative assessment of food consumption, longevity, thermoregulation, and molecular health markers in mite-resistant and Italian honey bee stocks - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Meikle, W.G., Weiss, M., Adjaye, D.F., Ricigliano, V.A. 2024. Comparative assessment of food consumption, longevity, thermoregulation, and molecular health markers in mite-resistant and Italian honey bee stocks. Apidologie. 55. Article 28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-024-01071-x.

Varroa mite removal from whole honey bee colonies by powdered sugar dusting is enhanced by crowding and mechanical agitation of treated workers - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Carroll, M.J., Brown, N.J. 2024. Varroa mite removal from whole honey bee colonies by powdered sugar dusting is enhanced by crowding and mechanical agitation of treated workers. Journal of Apicultural Research. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2024.2361959.

Warmer autumns and winters could reduce honey bee overwintering survival with potential risks for pollination services - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Rajagopalan, K., Hoffman, G.D., Pruett, M., Jones, V., Corby-Harris, V.L., Pireaud, J., Curry, R., Hopkins, B., Northwood, T. 2024. Warmer autumns and winters could reduce honey bee overwintering survival with potential risks for pollination services. Scientific Reports. 14. Article 5410. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55327-8.

Hive orientation and colony strength affect honey bee colony activity during almond pollination - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Evans, S.K., Evans, H., Meikle, W.G., Clouston, G. 2024. Hive orientation and colony strength affect honey bee colony activity during almond pollination. Insects. 15(2). Article 112. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15020112.

Next-generation colony weight monitoring: A review and prospectus - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
McMinn-Sauder, H., Colin, T., Gaines Day, H., Quinlan, G., Smart, A., Meikle, W.G., Johnson, R., Sponsler, D. 2024. Next-generation colony weight monitoring: A review and prospectus. Apidologie. 55. Article 13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-023-01050-8.

Cold storage as part of a Varroa management strategy: Effects on honey bee colony performance, mite levels and stress biomarkers - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Meikle, W.G., Corby-Harris, V.L., Ricigliano, V.A., Snyder, L.A., Weiss, M. 2023. Cold storage as part of a Varroa management strategy: Effects on honey bee colony performance, mite levels and stress biomarkers. Scientific Reports. 13. Article 11842. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39095-5.

The survival and growth of honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies overwintered in cold storage: the effects of time and colony location - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Hoffman, G.D., Corby-Harris, V.L., Graham, R., Watkins De Jong, E.E., Chambers, M.L., Snyder, L.A. 2023. The survival and growth of honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies overwintered in cold storage: the effects of time and colony location. Journal of Economic Entomology. 116(4):1078-1090. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toad103.

Impacts of seasonality and parasitism on honey bee population dynamics - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Chen, J., Rodriguez Rincon, J., Hoffman, G.D., Fewell, Harrison, J., Kang, Y. 2023. Impacts of seasonality and parasitism on honey bee population dynamics. Journal of Mathematical Biology. 87. Article 19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00285-023-01952-2.

Accelerated abdominal lipid depletion from pesticide treatment alters honey bee pollen foraging strategy, but not onset, in worker honey bees - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Deeter, M.E., Snyder, L.A., Meador, C., Corby-Harris, V.L. 2023. Accelerated abdominal lipid depletion from pesticide treatment alters honey bee pollen foraging strategy, but not onset, in worker honey bees. Journal of Experimental Biology. 226(7). Article jeb245404. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.245404.

The challenge of balancing fungicide use and pollinator health - (Literature Review)
Fisher II, A., Hoffman, G.D., Liao, L., Tadei, R., Harrison, J. 2023. The challenge of balancing fungicide use and pollinator health. Advances in Insect Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aiip.2023.01.002.

Field and cage studies show no effects of exposure to flonicamid on honey bees at field-relevant concentrations - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Meikle, W.G., Weiss, M. 2022. Field and cage studies show no effects of exposure to flonicamid on honey bees at field-relevant concentrations. Insects. 13(9). Article 845. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13090845.

Seasonal variability in physiology and behavior affect the impact of fungicide exposure on honey bee (Apis mellifera) health - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Fisher, A., Glass, J.R., Ozturk, C., DesJardins, N., Raka, Y., Hoffman, G.D., Smith, B.H., Fewell, J.H., Harrison, J.F. 2022. Seasonal variability in physiology and behavior affect the impact of fungicide exposure on honey bee (Apis mellifera) health. Environmental Pollution. 311. Article 120010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120010.

Effects of hive entrance orientation on honey bee colony activity - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Meikle, W.G., Weiss, M., Beren, E.D. 2023. Effects of hive entrance orientation on honey bee colony activity. Journal of Apicultural Research. 62(3):444-449. https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2023.2165769.

Simulating the effects of pesticides on honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies with BeePop+ - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Garber, K., Hoffman, G.D., Curry, R., Minucci, J., Dawson, D.E., Douglass, C., Milone, J., Purucker, S.T. 2022. Simulating the effects of pesticides on honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies with BeePop+. Ecologies. 3(3):275-291. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies3030022.

Integration of scales and cameras in nondisruptive electronic beehive monitoring: On the within-day relationship of hive weight and traffic in honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies in Langstroth hives in Tucson, Arizona, USA - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Kulyukin, V., Tkachenko, A., Price, K., Meikle, W.G., Weiss, M. 2022. Integration of scales and cameras in nondisruptive electronic beehive monitoring: On the within-day relationship of hive weight and traffic in honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies in Langstroth hives in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Sensors. 22(13). Article 4824. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22134824.

Methoxyfenozide has minimal effects on replacement queens but may negatively affect sperm storage - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Carroll, M.J., Corby-Harris, V.L., Brown, N.J., Snyder, L.A., Reitz, D.C. 2022. Methoxyfenozide has minimal effects on replacement queens but may negatively affect sperm storage. Apidologie. 53. Article 33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-022-00940-7.

Unbalanced fatty acid diets impair discrimination ability of honey bee workers to damaged and healthy brood odors - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Traces of a neonicotinoid pesticide stimulate different honey bee colony activities, but do not increase colony size or longevity - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Meikle, W.G., Colin, T., Adamczyk Jr., J.J., Weiss, M., Barron, A. 2022. Traces of a neonicotinoid pesticide stimulate different honey bee colony activities, but do not increase colony size or longevity. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 231. Article 113202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113202.

Review on mathematical modeling of honeybee population dynamics - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Chen, Y., Hoffman, G.D., Ratti, V., Kang, Y. 2021. Review on mathematical modeling of honeybee population dynamics. Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering (MBE) Journal. 18(6):9606-9650. https://doi.org/10.3934/mbe.2021471.

The active ingredients of a mitotoxic fungicide negatively affect pollen consumption and worker survival in laboratory-reared honey bees (Apis mellifera) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Fisher, A., Cogley, T., Ozturk, C., Hoffman, G.D., Smith, B., Kaftanoglu, O., Fewell, J., Harrison, J. 2021. The active ingredients of a mitotoxic fungicide negatively affect pollen consumption and worker survival in laboratory-reared honey bees (Apis mellifera). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 226. Article 112841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112841.

A common fungicide, Pristine®, impairs olfactory associative learning performance in honey bees (Apis mellifera) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Desjardins, N., Fisher, A., Ozturk, C., Fewell, J., Hoffman, G.D., Harrison, J., Smith, B. 2021. A common fungicide, Pristine®, impairs olfactory associative learning performance in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Environmental Pollution. 288. Article 117720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117720.

Field cross-fostering and in vitro rearing demonstrate negative effects of both larval and adult exposure to a widely used fungicide in honey bees (Apis mellifera) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Fisher Ii, A., Hoffman, G.D., Smith, B., Ozturk, C., Kaftanoglu, O., Fewell, J., Harrison, J. 2021. Field cross-fostering and in vitro rearing demonstrate negative effects of both larval and adult exposure to a widely used fungicide in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 217. Article 112251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112251.

The importance of time and place: Nutrient composition and utilization of seasonal pollens by European honey bees (Apis mellifera L. - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Hoffman, G.D., Corby-Harris, V.L., Carroll, M.J., Toth, A., Gage, S., Watkins De Jong, E.E., Graham, R.H., Chambers, M.L., Meador, C., Obernesser, B. 2021. The importance of time and place: Nutrient composition and utilization of seasonal pollens by European honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). Insects. 12(3). Article 235. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12030235.

Consumption of field-realistic doses of a widely used mito-toxic fungicide reduces thorax mass but does not negatively impact flight capacities of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Glass, J.R., Fisher, A., Fewell, J.H., Hoffman, G.D., Ozturk, C., Harrison, J.F. 2021. Consumption of field-realistic doses of a widely used mito-toxic fungicide reduces thorax mass but does not negatively impact flight capacities of the honey bee (Apis mellifera). Environmental Pollution. 274. Article 116533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116533.