Honey Bee and Pollinator Research
Penn State researchers are leading the research investigating the disappearance of honey bees.
The loss of honey bees is a multifaceted problem and is reflected in projects ranging from understanding the incidence and prevalence of viruses and the role of pesticides on bee health and behavior to the role mites have on colony decline, including vectoring disease and impairing the bee immune system.
People specializing in this area
Postdoctoral Scholars, Research Associates, Adjunct Faculty
Dave Biddinger, Ph.D.
Dr. Biddinger is working on the conservation of wild populations of Osmia Orchard Bees as supplements to honey bees for orchard pollination and is developing managed populations with Jim and Maryann Frazier. He has been examining the effects of orchard pesticides on non-Apis pollen bees and developing their use as bioindicators of ecological health in ecologically based IPM programs in apple using only reduced-risk and bio-pesticides for 2 seasons. He is collaborating with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in their survey efforts to develop the first checklist of Pennsylvania bees and in understanding the natural history and importance of the many species of bees found in fruit orchards.
