The first of the flight cages are being assembled at our research apiary. These will provide disease-free accommodation for our honeybee colonies. Further pictures to follow ...

The slides for the presentation on our IPI-funded research project are now available for download. The original presentation was animated and so some of the slides may be difficult to read. Please contact us if any points need clarification.

On the afternoon of Saturday 16th April the BBSRC Insect Pollinators Initiative Colloquium "Research creating a buzz" will be held at the annual British Beekeepers Association convention at Stoneleigh. Principal Investigators from each of the projects funded will present an overview of their studies with opportunities for discussion.

Slides of our contribution to this colloquium will be posted here in due course.

In January we reported the identification and preliminary characterisation of recombinants (hybrids) between Varroa destructor virus type 1 (VDV-1) and Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). We presented evidence that certain recombinants accumulate to higher levels in Varroa-infested pupae, implying they have an evolutionary advantage in transmission or subsequent replication. More ...