Anthony Nearman's research revolves around the question "Can we predict the overwinter success or failure of honey bee colonies?" By tracking physiological changes at the tissue level, Anthony has identified a set of pathophysiological traits that are potential indicators of overall colony health. When combined with other colony related metrics, he is able to predict colony mortality with a high level of accuracy. Additionally, he is investigating the generally considered causes of some of these predictive traits at the molecular level.
Varroa destructor, an ectoparasitic mite of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera), is considered to be the most important factor driving high rates of honey bee colony losses in the US and the rest of the world. Being detrimental to the honey bee population we still lack the knowledge of some of the basic physiology of mites.
Krisztina has been conducting research of Varroa destructor mite size variability within the United States which led her to investigate biotic, abiotic and genetic factors behind this phenomenon. |