Agricultural Research Service

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. Non-technical Summarythere Are Currently No Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Strategies for a. Apis Infections, or Chalkbrood, Which Are Rooted in Scientific Evidence. Extension Agents and Apiary Inspectors Do Not Have Science-based Strategies to Recommend When Beekeepers Encounter Chalkbrood in Their Operations. This Makes It Difficult for Beekeepers to Effectively Address Disease Outbreaks Within Their Own Apiaries, Thus Leading to Frustration, Economic Loss, and Colony Death. the Results From Our Proposed Work Will Allow Us to Communicate Chalkbrood Ipm Strategies Which Are Quantifiably Effective in Preventing and Treating Chalkbrood. by Forming a Variety of Ipm Strategies, We Are Following Best Management Practices for Sustainable and Responsible Disease Management Within Our Crop System and Ultimately Generating a Holistic Toolkit for Our Beekeeping Stakeholders.a. Apis, Although a Global Honey Bee Parasite, Is Currently Understudied in the U.s. Which Gives Us Ample Knowledge Gaps to Fill. Understanding What Makes Some Groups in a Single Honey Bee Population More Resistant Than Others Is Scientifically Valuable and Has Wide Applicability to Other Diseases and Pests Within Social Insects. a. Apis Surprisingly Seems to Have Few Consistent Responses Globally, Which May Indicate Differential Virulence of Different Strains or Variance in Responses of Different Honey Bees Populations. Our Work Would Both Fill Several Knowledge Gaps as Well as Generate Promising Areas of Future Study, Such as Seeing If Different Strains of a. Apis Are Equally Susceptible to Our Treatment Methods, and Identifying Molecular Mechanisms Associated With Social Immunity Behaviors in Response to a. Apis Infection.additionally, by Incorporating Future and Current Career Scientists Into This Project, We Are Helping to Both Generate Scientific and Stakeholder-centered Information, as Well as Training Future Peers to Communicate Their Findings Widely Which Is Important to Stem and to Society. We Ultimately Propose a Thorough Dissemination of the Knowledge Through Both Scientifically Peer-reviewed and Stakeholder-centered Avenues, Putting This Information Into the Hands of the Beekeepers Who Need It Most.