20235118141170

European foulbrood (EFB), a disease that infects honey bee larvae and causes significant mortality, has recently increased in prevalence and intensity. High incidences are associated with pollination of early season specialty crops, which reduces efficiency in pollination of specialty crops that bloom later in the season.

This project uses a system and transdisciplinary based approach to identify factors associated with EFB, develop strategies to mitigate its spread and impacts, and communicate findings to beekeepers and growers of diverse specialty crops. The objectives of this study are: (1) determine factors associated with EFB, (2) evaluate methods to mitigate EFB, (3) investigate the genetic variation of the pathogen population and identify potential pathways for disease spread, (4) develop economic models on the impact, and (5) develop management practices and communicate findings.

Central to this project is a two-year long longitudinal study involving honey bee colonies across four states that will be used to pollinate diverse crops. The project will model the effects of crops, weather conditions, pesticides, honey bee health, and others on EFB. This project will also use methods in microbiome science and genomics to determine the efficacy of probiotics and trace pathogen movement, respectively, as well as evaluate other management strategies.

Findings, along with results from economic analyses, will be disseminated broadly via a diversity of outreach and extension mechanisms, including YouTube videos and podcasts.

Oregon State University

10.309 - Specialty Crop Research Initiative

Institute of Food Production and Sustainability (IFPS) [USDA - NIFA]

Corvallis, Oregon 97331 United States

Single Zip Code

USDA-NIFA-SCRI-009765