Viral infections in honey bees are becoming more intense and widespread. CVIA researchers Abigail Chapman and Dr. Alison McAfee found that virus-infected queen bees in the field have shriveled ovaries compared with healthy ones. The researchers then infected queen bees in the lab with a different virus, and noticed the same result.
A queen’s shrunken ovaries could mean fewer eggs, and so, fewer baby bees – something the researchers will investigate in future work. A smaller population would make a colony weak, affecting how much money beekeepers can make from it. Honey bees contribute an estimated $4 to $5.5 billion annually to the Canadian economy.
The researchers are in the very early stages of working on a “queen vaccine” to protect the bees. In the meantime, beekeepers are practicing COVID-style measures to prevent virus spread,
including quarantining sick colonies and sterilizing equipment. Local governments could help by subsidizing PCR tests to help beekeepers identify which colonies are sick, says Chapman.
]]>“To date, I primarily studied general biology, and I didn’t really have any tangible work experience related to my degree,” says Bakala. “When I first saw the Work Study posting, I wasn’t sure because the role focused on plant physiology and I didn’t think I had the necessary experience. But I was interviewed and eventually hired for the role.”
Bakala was thrilled to learn that she would be working as a Research Assistant exploring what happens to sweet cherries when irrigation is reduced after harvest—a critical question considering the dependence of agriculture on global water supplies.
Between May and August, Bakala and another student were responsible for collecting various measurements at five different orchards across the Okanagan Valley and inputting the massive amounts of data on open science platforms for graduate students to use. Bakala also spent considerable time in the lab, helping perform tests to determine things like firmness, colour and size of the cherries—all factors that could be affected when irrigation levels are altered. The project was supported by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, and delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of CVIA.
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