CAREER: Neuroethology of Hygienic Behavior

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Lay Abstract PI: Spivak, Marla Proposal Number: IBN-9722416 This project develops a coordinated educational and research program that offers undergraduate students a change to become actively involved in their own scientific development. The project is build around research designed to understand the behavior and neural basis of hygienic behavior in honey bees. Hygienic behavior is a mechanism is a defense against a parasitic mite and a mechanism of disease resistance in which bees identify and remove parasitized and diseased brood from the hive. This project examines the behavior expressed by bees, identifies the sensory cues they use to trigger the behavior, and investigates the nervous system mechanisms that control its expression. Undergraduate students participate in research projects ranging from practical bee breeding to behavioral and neurobiological experiments in the laboratory. Understanding the factors that regulate hygienic behavior in honey bees, vital pollinators in may parts of the world including agricultural areas, is critical as beekeepers search for bees with natural defenses against diseases and mites with the goal of reducing antibiotic and pesticide application.