WAS Feb'25 Mini: "The Benefits of Propolis to Honey Bee Colonies" by Dr. Marla Spivak

WAS February 2025 Mini-Conference The Benefits of Propolis to Honey Bee Colonies Recorded: Thursday, February 13th, 2025, 5:30 PM (Mountain Standard Time), 12:30 AM UTC Presentation: "The Benefits of Propolis to Honey Bee Colonies", by Dr. Marla Spivak, Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota Summary: The research goal my lab is to promote the health of all bees. Our primary research focus is on honey bees, ranging from basic studies on mechanisms of social immunity and behavior, to applied studies on honey bee breeding and management. Current studies are centered on honey bee hygienic behavior as a mechanism of parasite and possibly virus resistance, and on the benefits of propolis (antimicrobial plant resins) to the health of honey bees and the stingless bee, Scaptogrigona mexicana. Bio: Marla Spivak, Ph.D., is a MacArthur Fellow and Distinguished McKnight University Professor in Entomology in the College of Food, Agricultural and and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota. She also leads the Spivak Honey Bee Lab. Spivak’s current research includes studies of the benefits of propolis (tree resins) to the health and immune system of honey bees; the identification and biological activity of honey bee collected resins; the development of “bee lawns”—pollinator habitat in urban landscapes; the use of native forbs by honey bees through identification of collected pollen and decoding bees’ dance language; the health of commercial honey bee colonies and the evaluation of queens' breeders efforts to select stocks for resistance to diseases and mite pests; novel methods to control Varroa mites in honey bee colonies; and surveys of native bees in Minnesota.