Back to top

The Research Buzz

Welcome to The Research Buzz, a recurring column where I will summarize some of the newest and coolest in honey bee research.

Each Research Buzz will highlight five new studies. For some studies, I provide a more detailed break-down of the research on this website (see the "deep dive" links below). For all studies, I provide a link to the full research paper so that you can dive even deeper. Of course, don't worry if you don't have time to read academic papers - that's why I'm providing the highlights! These articles are also published in the Mass Bee newsletter.

Spring 2021: Pesticides in pollen, best management practices for beekeepers, screened bottom boards, and a honey bee textbook for veterinarians

Read the full column here: Spring 2021

Fall 2020: Crop pollination, propolis-friendly hives, feral mites, disease tramission at flowers, and a newly observed bumble bee behavior

Read the full column here: Fall 2020

Summer 2020: Apiary design, screened bottom boards, bee dialects, and simple backyard bee habitat improvements

Read the full column here: Summer 2020

Spring 2020: Pesticide results from the 2018 MA Hobbyist Honey Bee Health Survey (you can read the full research report here)

Read the full column here: Spring 2020

Here are some tips on protecting your hives from pesticides

Winter 2019: "Mite bombs", viral transmission, contaminated wax foundation, varroa-neonic interactions and a new pesticide guide

Read the full column here: Winter 2019

Fall 2019: NASS Survey suspension, neonic-treated soybean seeds, Varroa transmission via flowers, amino acids and sexual competition

Read the full column here: Fall 2019

Summer 2019: Neonics and in-hive behavior, hive spacing, protein supplements, almond pollination, and entomophagy.

Read the full column here: Summer 2019

Spring 2019Varroa biology, queen quality, a new honey bee manual, and the lunar eclipse. 

Read the full column here: Spring 2019

Deep dive: Varroa mites feed on fat body tissue not hemolymph (Ramsey et al. 2019) 

Deep dive: Comparing Northern and Southern Queens (Döke et al. 2018)

Deep dive: Can brood pattern tell us about queen quality? (Lee et al. 2019)

microscope