Central State University recently issued the following announcement.
Research into bee genetics will take flight at Central State University (CSU) with the expansion of the apiary (bee) research yard located across from the University on the Central State Agriculture Research and Demonstration Farm, US 42 E, Wilberforce.
According to CSU Field Technician Ashley Cordle, the fully enclosed flight cage will allow research projects to occur with controlled and expanded genetic testing. “Specifically, CSU research will continue on comparing different stocks of honeybees and their mite-biting behavior,” says Cordle. “Some honeybees exhibit more grooming behavior towards the mites or have varying physical mandible characteristics.”
Central State University honeybee research is led by CSU Research Assistant Professor of Entomology Dr. Hongmei Li-Byarlay. Dr. Li-Byarlay, an expert in bee genetics, social behavior, and physiology, is committed to helping save honeybees through dynamic and innovative research and community presentations. Her research at CSU centers around honeybee genetics, behavior, breeding, and physiology.
“Honeybees are called a “Superorganism” with a collection of social behavior,” said Central State University Research Assistant Professor of Entomology Dr. Hongmei Li-Byarlay. “A lot of questions on how honeybees communicate by their dance language are not answered yet. We use the flight cage to study their brain, their behavior, and genes determining the specific behavior. Of course, honeybees are important pollinators for our agriculture and environment for the production of fruits, vegetables, and crops.” she added. “So learning how bees think and communicate is important for us to understand the ecosystem and evolution.”
For more information about the bee research program at CSU, contact Dr. Hongmei Li-Byarlay at hlibyarlay@centralstate.edu.
Original source can be found here.
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