Healthy bees are crucial for the global food production. About one third of human diet directly or indirectly depends on successful pollination by bees. But the western honey bee struggles to survive, partly due to the spread of introduced pathogens and pests. A small number of colonies however are resistant against certain diseases. The latter are of high scientific value as they came up with an effective immune system and/or might have evolved behavioral and colony-level mechanisms to protect their colonies.
In this project we investigate behavioural defence mechanisms in the varroa mite resistant population of honey bees on and/or from the isolated island of Gotland in southern Sweden.
Want to know more?
If you like bees, want to contribute to their protection and want to spend time outside in the Swedish summer contact Séverine Kotrschal for more information.