an apiarist working at a hive in a field. They are wearing a protective hat with mesh over the face and a long-sleeved protective jacket.

Research

Our overarching goal is to improve the health of honey bees and other pollinators. Our research cluster uses interdisciplinary, integrated, and novel approaches to address the causes and consequences of recent declines in wild and managed bee colonies.

While many researchers have focused solely on pesticides, bee declines are likely due to the cumulative impact of many subtle stressors. These include diminishing flower resources, habitat loss, climate change, poor hive management and hive stress (e.g., due to transportation from crop to crop), and diseases (e.g., Varroa mites, nosemosis, foulbrood), in addition to exposure to toxic chemicals (e.g., neonicotinoid pesticides).

The BeeHIVE cluster tackles this "grand challenge" by exploring the honey bee’s important roles as a pollinatorbiomonitor, and producer. We will also investigate the contributions of native pollinators (e.g., bumblebees, butterblies, hummingbirds, beetles), and the overall value our society places on honey bees in particular. Elements of the three pillars of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social) are interwoven into each research theme. 

 

beehive-theme-diagram-9nov19.jpg

UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Chats Two speech clouds. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. External Link An arrow entering a square. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Menu Three horizontal lines indicating a menu. Minus A minus sign. Telephone An antique telephone. Plus A plus symbol indicating more or the ability to add. Search A magnifying glass. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service.