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Dr. Olav Rueppell |
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Our office and lab space are located in the Eberhart
Building on the main
UNCG campus. Click for a broad or a detailed map how to get there. Our research apiary and bee facility are located 5min to the west (see map). If you want
to DONATE directly to UNCG’s honey bee
research program, Disclaimer:
The material located at this site is not endorsed, sponsored, or provided by or on behalf of the LAST UPDATED Sept. 2011 |
Honey Bee Health Related Research:
The honey bee, Apis mellifera (L), is our most important pollinator,
vital to sustainable modern agriculture and ecosystem functioning. Over ¾ of
agricultural crops are insect pollinated and the commercial value of honey
bee pollination in the U.S. alone has been estimated to be approximately
$15,000,000,000 annually. Honey bees are threatened by diseases, pesticides,
and malnutrition and cultural trends contribute to the long-term decline of
honey bee populations in the US. Over the last few years, dramatic losses of
honey bees were reported in a new phenomenon, called “Colony Collapse
Disorder”.
On the one hand, we are working to develop the intestinal
stem cells as a relevant sensitive health indicator and potential screening
tool for pathogen and pesticide related research. The midgut is particularly
relevant because most pathogens and toxins are ingested and enter the bees
through the intestinal epithelium. Our second applied research focus (funded
by USDA), targets the characterization of naturally-evolved
Varroa mite resistance. Varroa ectoparasitic mites are a
severe, global pathogen of Apis
mellifera after its transfer from the native host Apis cerana. We are studying potential local host-pathogen co-evolution
in this system in Thailand, we are trying to characterize the molecular interactions
between bees and mites, and we are seeking to find molecular correlates of
mite non-reproduction.
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