Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/10
Outputs
A collaborative research and educational program has been established between the Penn State Center for Chemical Ecology and the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Kenya. Two years of reciprocal visits resulted in the discovery of Varroa mites in African bee colonies throughout Kenya in 2009 for the first time, and a scientific note in Apidologie on this discovery. Two Penn State graduate students visited icipe duri8ng 2009 and undertook new aspects of their theses research. A Pennsylvania beekeeper, Tom McCormack, who has worked with Africanized bees in Panama and the US visited icipe with our team in 2009. Two icipe scientists visited the US during the Fall of 2009 and learned new diagnostic techniques for bee diseases at the USDA labs in Beltsville, MD, visited bee research and migratory beekeeping operations in PA, gave seminars at Penn State and the USDA Bee Lab in Tuscon, AZ and saw Africanized bee colonies in the Arizona desert. In 2010, an icipe graduate student participated in a two week course on Research Techniques in Insect Chemical Ecology at Penn State and an icipe group leader, Dr. Baldwin Torto attended the first International Pollinator Conference at Penn State in July and gave a talk on The Importance of Bee Health for the African Pollinator Initiative: the icipe contribution. A Penn State research and edcuational team was expanded to include two new faculty members in Entomology and a new grant based on our Varroa discovery was funded by the NSF-BREAD program to expand the scope of this work and to continue it for another two years. This resulted in a Penn State team of 3 scientists, together with a USDA scientist from the Tuscon Lab working together with 3 icipe scientists for 4 weeks in June, 2010. Sampling of the 4 races of the African honey bee Apis mellifera has been completed throiughout Kenya and detailed disease and pesticide analyses of over 2500 samples is in progress. More than 25 Kenyan beekeepers were interviewed and detailed descriptions of local knowledge were obtained. A joint educational course for Kenyan beekeepers in planned for 2011 to be taught by personnel from Penn State, icipe, and the Kenyan National Museum. A highly integrated research and educational team focused on understanding the impact of Varroa mites, the differences in diseases and behavioral resistance to mites, and documenting the population genetics and geographic distributions of the races of African bees in Kenya has been developed. The ISE grant was an effective vehicle for forming this new partnership and provided seed funding that resulted in expanded research and educational funding for continuing this effort into the immediate future. PRODUCTS: Penn State graduate students, Daniel Schmehl and Tracy Conklin both had their first African research experience at icipe, Nairobi, Kenya and gained an expanded appreciation of conducting research in Africa as well as new knowledge of African bees. Penn State faculty, Jim Tumlinson, Jim Frazier, and Maryann Frazier gained first hand knowledge of icipe personnel and facilities as well as working with African bees. Pennsylvania beekeeper, Tom McCormack, gained new knowledge of icipe personnal and African bees in Kenya. Icipe scientists, Dr. Eulid Muli and James Kimani visited the US in Fall of 2009. They learned new aspects of Penn State bee research, visited large migratory beekeepers, gave a seminar to PSU bee researcher, learned new bee disease diagnostic techniques at the USDA Belstville Lab, and gave a seminar and met personnel at the Carl Hayden Bee Research lab in Tuscon, AX. USDA Bee Lab personnel gained a new appreciation of icipe and of Kenyan tradtional beekeeping and Kenyan culture through a seminar and researcher, Diana Sammataro, visited icipe in 2010 and gained first hand knowledge of African bees and icipe personnel and learned of new potential collaborations for future research. Bee samples were returned to Tuscon to aid in new research. A new research team was formed involving Penn State faculty members, Jim Tumlinson, Jim Frazier, Christina Grozinger, Harland Patch and Maryann Frazier together with icipe researchers, Baldwin Torto, Dan Masiga and Eulid Muli and a new grant was funded by the NSF- Gates Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development ( BREAD) program. this was one of only 15 funded projects selected for initial funding in 2009-10. The project was entitled Sustainable Solutions for Preserving Pollinator Health in East Africa, and was funded for an initial two year period. Dr. Torto visited Penn State and gave a talk at the first International Pollinator Conference held at Penn State in July 2010. His graduate student, Ayuka Fombong, attended a two week workshop on Research Technques in Insect Chemical Ecology at Penn State in June 2010. Penn State personnel formed a new collaborative working relationship with Dr. Mary Ginkugu at teh Kenyan National Museum as a result of our 2010 trip. OUTCOMES: Outcomes are combined with products in the previous section. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: A publication in Apidologie and the seminars given at Penn State and USDA Tuscon Bee lab fostered greater understanding among bee researchers in the US and abroad. FUTURE INITIATIVES: The NSF-BREAD grant will fund our expanded research and educational efforts involving Penn State, icipe, and Kenyan National Museum personnel through 2012.
Impacts
Two PSU grad students have expanded their understanding of African cultures, international conduct of science and specifics of African bees, parasites, and diseases as a result of thier travel funded on this grant. They have in turn spread their knowledge to other Penn State graduate students who are now anxious for their own African experiences. Penn State department of Entomology and especially Penn State bee research faculty have expanded understanding of both icipe and of African bees and their potential resistance mechanisms to diseases and parasites. New collaborative research efforts have been created for Penn State faculty with both icipe and Kenyan National Museum personnel as well as with USDA, Tuscon lab personnel. These new collaborative research efforts will help strengthen icipes current initiatives to establish a Regional Honeybee Research and Training Center in collaboration with the African Union-Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources ) AU-IBAR).
Publications
- Frazier, M.T., E. Muli, T. Conklin, D. Schemhl, B. Torto, J. Frazier, J. Tumlinson, J.D. Evans, S. Raina. 2010. A scientific note on Varroa destructor found in E. Africa: Threat or Opportunity Apidologie 41:463-465.
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Progress 09/01/08 to 12/31/08
Outputs
In March, 2009 the Penn State team visited ICIPE, in Kenya Africa for our first visit to establish our long term collaboration with the Center for Chemical Ecology at Penn State. Dr. Jim Tumlinson, Dr. Jim Frazier, Maryann Frazier, and two graduate students, Tracy Conklin and Dan Schmehl along with a beekeeper, Tom McCormack were the Penn State Team. The two graduate students conducted experiments there in cooperation with icipe personnel, and Jim and Maryann Frazier spent one week traveling around central Kenya, visiting several apiaries and conducting hygienic behavioral tests and sampling for Varroa mites. Our team was the first to discover Varroa mites in Kenya during this trip. A subsequent follow-up trip by icipe personnel, visited numerous other hives in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, where additional Varroa mites were confirmed. These results have been submitted for publication in the bee journal Apidolgie as follows: A scientific note on Varroa destructor found in East Africa; Threat or Opportunity Maryann FRAZIERa*, Eliud MULIb, Tracy CONKLINa, Daniel SCHMEHLa,BaldwynTORTOb, James FRAZIERa, James TUMLINSONa, Jay D. EVANSc, Suresh RAINAb. . 2009. Apidologie, (In press). The finding of Varroa mites in Kenya has led to us submitting a NSF- BREAD grant for consideration to expand our research efforts together with icipe on chemical ecology mechanisms of resistance in African bees beginning in 2010 if funded. In October, 2009, Eulid Muli and James Kimani visited Penn State as the first reciprocal visit of icipe scientists to the US. They spent a week in Pennsylvania, visiting with PSU research faculty, learned Nosema disease analysis techniques, visited a large migratory beekeeper operation and some value added beekeeping operations in PA followed by a day at the USDA lab in Beltsville, MD where they learned American and European foulbrood analyses techniques. We then traveled to Arizona to the USDA Bee Lab in Tuscon, where Muli gave a seminar, discussed collaborative research with them, and then spent a day in the field to observe Africanized bees in the wild in the Tuscon area. The visit was highly educational and enjoyable for our African colleagues. A memorandum of understanding has been signed by icipe and PSU Center for Chemical Ecology to formalize our ties for a permanent collaboration. We anticipate that our next visit to icipe will be in June, 2010 to coincide with the end of the rainy season, when colonies should be flush with brood to allow for further experiments involving Varroa mites and probable chemical ecology aspects of potential bee resistance mechanisms. Our experiences on this first year of the grant have confirmed that there are differing behavioral resistance mechanisms to mites and diseases among African bees and that the Africanized bees in the US appear to be less aggressive than their African counterparts, furthering our goal of discovering mechanisms of resistance in African bees that may be used to further enhance the stability of US beekeeping. PRODUCTS: Scientific publication submitted to Apidologie. MOU signed between ICIPE and PSU Centre for Chemical Ecology. New grant submitted to NSF-Bread Program to expand our collaboration. OUTCOMES: Working realtionships and expanded projects established between ICIPE and PSU and a new publication submitted. Two new collaborators, Dr. Christina Groziner, and Dr. Harland Patch have joined the new project submitted to NSF-Bread Program. Seminars given at PSU and USDA Tucson Bee Lab by African colleagues increased understanding of African bees among US researhers. African colleagues trained in American Foulbrood and Nosema detection techniques and will use these for the first time in Kenya. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Seminars given at PSU and USDA Tuscon Bee Lab increased US research community knowledge of African bees. FUTURE INITIATIVES: PSU will visit ICIPE in June of 2010 for expanded Varroa and hygienic behavior testing throughout Kenya. African colleagues will visit US again in 2010.
Impacts
Working realtionships and expanded projects established between ICIPE and PSU and a new publication submitted. Two new collaborators, Dr. Christina Groziner, and Dr. Harland Patch have joined the new project submitted to NSF-Bread Program. Seminars given at PSU and USDA Tucson Bee Lab by African colleagues increased understanding of African bees among US researhers. African colleagues trained in American Foulbrood and Nosema detection techniques and will use these for the first time in Kenya.
Publications
- A scientific note on Varroa destructor found in East Africa; Threat or Opportunity Maryann FRAZIERa*, Eliud MULIb, Tracy CONKLINa, Daniel SCHMEHLa,BaldwynTORTOb, James FRAZIERa, James TUMLINSONa, Jay D. EVANSc, Suresh RAINAb. . 2009. Apidologie, (In press).
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