ABSTRACT

Honey bee colonies in the US have been dying at high rates for the last 10 years. There is growing consensus that the causes of these losses are multifactorial, including varroa, pesticides, and poor nutrition. Here we take an epidemiological approach to examining the drivers of honey bee colonies, revealing a sticky mess of interacting factors, chief among them varroa. We will examine data from multiple surveillance efforts in an attempt to draw an overarching picture of bee health, and also examine beekeeper management practices that correlate with increased survivorship.

About the Speaker:

Dennis is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland and is interested in pollinator health. The focus of his current work involves the application of epidemiological approaches to understanding and (importantly) improving honey bee health. Currently Dennis is the director of the Bee Informed Partnership (BeeInformed.org) which attempts to provide a platform to collect “big data” on the state of health of managed honey bee colonies. Analysis of these data is providing important insights into the role beekeeper management practices and environmental factors (such as landscape pesticides and climate) have on bee health.