By: Julia D. Fine and Arathi Seshadri
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2020 issue of BEEKeeping Your First Three Years
On January 7th, 2020, a new USDA-ARS laboratory located on the University of California Davis campus hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to introduce the facility and two new scientists, Dr. Julia D. Fine, and lead scientist, Dr. Arathi Seshadri, to the university community and stakeholders. In attendance were representatives from ARS Washington DC and Albany offices, members of the UC Davis community, including the Associate Dean of UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Head of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, and a large number of stakeholder representatives including members of the American Honey Producers Association, California State Beekeepers’ Association, the American Beekeeping Federation, and the Almond Board of California.
The ceremony commenced at 1 PM, those gathered to celebrate with us enjoyed hearing from speakers including Dr. Paul Pratt, the research leader of the Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Research Unit which 0versees the new laboratory, USDA-ARS Pacific West Area Director, Dr. Robert Matteri, Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Dr. Anita Oberbauer, USDA-ARS National Program Leader, Dr. Kevin Hackett, and UC Davis Apiculture Extension Specialist Dr. Elina Lastro-Nino. Rounding out the speaker list were Darren Cox, owner of Cox Honey of Utah and board member of the American Honey Producers Association, and queen breeder Jackie Parks-Burris, board member of the California State Beekeepers Association, representing the broad range of stakeholders coming from near and far for this event.
Dr. Hackett spoke about the origins of this new facility, specifically the discussions with beekeeper stakeholders and the California almond industry which resulted in the formation of this new research lab. Describing this as a homecoming, he said the “REALLY significant reason” why it’s so satisfying for him to be back here is that even though he received his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, he did his research with Dr. Robbin Thorpe on bees at Davis. Dr. Oberbauer described the collaborative opportunities that the unit will generate with the UC Davis researcher and student communities.
Dr. Lastro-Nino spoke about the long-standing legacy of pollination research at UC Davis dating back to the 1920s when a USDA employee named George Vansell began investigating the toxicity of buckeye blossom to honey bees. Also of note is Professor Harry Laidlaw, Jr., who is known as the “father of honey bee genetics” for his contributions including developing the first tools to artificially inseminate honey bee queens and selective breeding projects that helped lead to early mapping of the honey bee genome. Dr. Lastro-Nino elaborated on other eminent researchers that have been a part of the UC Davis Laidlaw Bee lab – Distinguished Emeriti, Dr. Robe E Page, Jr., a pioneer researcher in the field of honey bee behavioral genetics and Dr. Robbin Thorpe, known for is expertise an passion for native pollinators, especially bumblebees.
Today, researchers at UC Davis including Dr. Lastro-Nino, Dr. Neal Williams and Dr. Brian Johnson are continuing this legacy. Following the ceremony, the stakeholders generously donated their time to discuss with us their needs and how we as researchers might address them. The overwhelming consensus was that research pertaining to the effects of nutrition, pesticides, parasites, pathogens, and interactions between these factors is warranted, with a focus on long-term colony health and the identification of practical tools and solutions that address real-world problems. We heard from many beekeepers representing family-run operations that the practice of beekeeping has drastically changed within their lifetime, requiring them to adapt quickly to new or worsening challenges such as Varroa mites and introduced pathogens. As industry outsiders but long-time admirer of Apis mellifera, we note that this kind of dynamic resilience in the face of adversity mirrors that of the social insect colonies beekeepers tend.
We are thrilled to be joining the ranks of the many ARS and university researchers who are currently working to address the needs of beekeepers and growers. We both come from applied research backgrounds and look forward to finding ways to contribute and grow our research programs to effectively meet stakeholder needs.
Dr. Fine’s interests are in identifying and characterizing the effects of stress on aspects of honey bee biology that can be difficult to diagnose due to the complexities of the hive environment, such as impaired queen performance and brood development. These effects, which may go unnoticed for some time inside a hive, could have long-term consequences for the entire colony.
Dr. Seshadri’s work focuses on identifying applied aspects of plant-pollinator relationships including the positive effects of plant-produced chemicals (phytochemicals) on honey bee health. By combining our expertise, we hope to help diagnose problems and identify ways to solve them.
Just as we’ve seen in the past, the coming years are sure to bring new and perhaps unexpected developments to the beekeeping industry. Now that we’re here in Davis, California, right next door to the United States almond industry which hosts the largest managed pollination event in the world, we’re looking forward to weathering these changes with beekeepers and growers and helping them navigate new and existing challenges effectively.
