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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Baton Rouge, Louisiana » Honey Bee Lab » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #415863
Research Project: Using Genetics to Improve the Breeding and Health of Honey Bees

Location: Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research

Title: New honey bee health special issue of U.S. and Canadian research

Author
item Walsh, Elizabeth

Submitted to: Entomology Today
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/3/2024
Publication Date: 6/12/2024
Citation: Walsh, E.M. 2024. New honey bee health special issue of U.S. and Canadian research. Entomology Today. https://entomologytoday.org/2024/06/12/honey-bee-health-new-collection-stressors-mitigation-methods/.

Interpretive Summary: Members of the American Association of Professional Apiculturalists (AAPA) and the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) have prominently contributed to research efforts related to honey bee biology on both basic and applied scientific scales. AAPA and CAPA have cooperatively organized a special issue in the Journal of Insect Science composed of the recent work that members of both organizations have conducted. Specifically, we have compiled Canadian and American studies that address honey bee health in the context of: 1) abiotic and biotic stressors; and 2) potential stress mitigation methods. This article in Entomology Today introduces this wonderful new body of research to Entomological Society of America members.

Technical Abstract: Honey bees are the most important managed insect pollinator in U.S. and Canadian crop systems. However, the annual mortality of colonies in the past 15 years has been consistently higher than historical records. Because they are eusocial generalist pollinators and ameanable to management, honey bees provide a unique opportunity to investigate a wide range of questions at molecular, organismal, and ecological scales. As the Anthropocene continues to progress and honey bees encounter rapidly changing land use in conjunction with climate change and other threats, future research into mitigating the impact of these factors is vital to boost the ability of honey bees to fight for themselves, discover practical mitigation methods, and achieve health stability for an insect that we have built our agroecosystem around. Members of the American Association of Professional Apiculturalists (AAPA) and the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) have prominently contributed to research efforts related to honey bee biology on both basic and applied scientific scales. AAPA and CAPA have cooperatively organized a special issue in the Journal of Insect Science composed of the recent work that members of both organizations have conducted. Specifically, we have compiled Canadian and American studies that address honey bee health in the context of: 1) abiotic and biotic stressors; and 2) potential stress mitigation methods. This article in Entomology Today introduces this wonderful new body of research to Entomological Society of America members.