Dr. Vanessa Corby-Harris from the USDA-ARS is currently enrolling participants in a study to look at the effects of a probiotic, Parasaccharibacter apium (or P. apium) on colony health. In both lab and small-scale field studies, she sees a potential benefit of P. apium to colony health. Bees supplemented with this bacterium can survive better in the lab and are more resistant to Nosema. Supplemented hives also show a slight trend of being stronger in the spring. If you are interested in participating or know someone who might be interested, please direct yourself to the project website. Participation can be anonymous and is free of…
Author: Vanessa Corby
Dr. Vanessa Corby-Harris is a Research Physiologist with the USDA-ARS Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, Arizona. Her lab is interested in honey bee nutrition in the broadest sense, from the genetics of nutrition to the response of the hive to different foraging landscapes.