Graduate Programs in the Life Sciences

Research Focus

Biology of honey bee pests, parasites, pathogens and predators

•  During the past several years, my colleagues and I have been investigating the host-seeking behavior of the adult female mite, Varroa jacobsoni. We have been seeking to identify the chemical and physical stimuli that the mite uses to find appropriate adult and immature hosts. We have found that female mites can differentiate between nurse bees and foragers, and we are examining the behavioral repsonses of mites to nurse bee and forager kairomones. We are currently isolating the specific chemicals involved in each of these processes.

The organization and evolution of insect societies

     My current research examines one section of a colony's task structure - pollen collection:

• Explore how a colony integrates information about diverse stimuli that affect its need for pollen into an appropriate behavioral response.
• Examine the individual-level activities that contribute to the colony-level decision-making process.
• Identify the specific stimuli assessed by each of the different players in the pollen collection system.
• Examine how workers acquire information about the colony's need for pollen and how they disseminate that information to nestmates.

Integrated Pest Management of honey bee pests, parasites, pathogens and predators

• Over the past several years, I have been working on optimizing the use of formic acid for control of V. jacobsoni. Recently, I have developed a delivery method that results in 95% efficacy as a fall treatment in the northeast.
  
• I am also working on the development of new solid polymer delivery systems for essential oils with acaricidal activity.
  
• I have also examined various methods for estimating mite levels in honey bee colonies as part of the sampling protocol necessary to implement treatment decisions.

Educational Background

Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1988

M.S., Ohio State University, 1985

B.A./B.S., Ohio State University, 1977