FINAL PROJECT: Abstract and Reader's Reponse > An Investigation on the Effects of DMPF (Amitraz) on Honey Bee Pathophysiology
S, I do like the idea of eventually annotating your process, including a timeline from idea generation to reporting results. I bet that Dr. vE would like that too.
Ask me about qualitative coding/norming on the necropsy findings.
Also, unrelated, but can I see a picture of decoy bees? Does the lab have one? Would Sam share? I would cite him in a research paper.
May 12, 2019 |
MbS
MbS
ABSTRACT:
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) serve an important role in agriculture and the economy as pollinators. Varroa destructor, an external parasitic mite, is the leading cause of honey bee mortality and has clear negative impacts on honey bee health. Although there have been previous studies that have examined the effects of Varroa spp. and acaricide exposure on the overall health and behavior of bees, there is limited knowledge of the direct impacts of acaricides on the physical health of adult bees. This proposal outlines a descriptive pathophysiological study of adult bees to investigate the effects of an amitraz metabolite, DMPF, on the physiology of honey bees. Methods used in the study are described for sample isolation through R programming and necropsies of bees. Colony samples from multiple apiaries across the United States are described to compare physiological differences between bees with and without exposure to varying pesticide levels of DMPF during the fall season. The research proposal concludes with an explanation of the study’s significance and brief literature review of three studies on acaricides and honey bee health, including a paper with a standardized necropsy scoring criterion developed by vanEngelsdorp et al. in 2017.
WC = 193
READER’S PROFILE:
I imagine a prospective undergraduate confused about developing a research topic for the Entomology Honors Program.
READER’S RESPONSE:
I am not sure about how to start my own research question to study. If this document can serve as a bit of a guide for future Honors students, maybe the author could include the process in how the question was developed. A timeline of the events of each step of the entire research project could also help in gauging the amount of time and effort needed to complete the Program. I think that this document would be helpful for the individuals already in the Bee Lab and the author herself, but it could include some notes on the process of the Program to guide future students.