Tuesday, November 9th, 2022
IN PERSON MEETING
Virtual Zoom Option
7:30 PM EST
Plasticity in honey bee comb arrangement in response to thermal stress
Isaac Weinberg
Biology Department, Tufts University
Abstract:
Honey bees are a charismatic social insect species defined in part by their large familial colonies, production of honey, and intricate hives. Within their hives, honey bees use cells to store both developing brood and food. These stores are generally arranged with a dense central cluster of brood below large reserves of honey with a thin strip of pollen separating the two. It is believed that this characteristic pattern is maintained by self-organizing behavior – individuals following simple, localized rules to create large scale, emergent patterns. My PhD research has focused mainly on testing the limits of this emergent pattern. In this talk I will present data from three field experiments which observe the effect that chronic thermal stress has on the organization of honey bee colonies, and the implications these results have for honey bee health in a changing world.
NOTICE: Welcome back to CEC meetings of the 2022-2023 academic year! We will be holding hybrid meetings to accommodate COVID-19 precautions and audience members from around the world.
For those able to attend in person, we will have an informal dinner at 6:00 pm at Cambridge Common Restaurant with the speaker, followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 pm) in the Gilbert Room of the Museum of Comparative Zoology (there will be signs to help direct). The meeting will begin with club announcements, followed by a 60-minute presentation by the invited speaker and Q&A. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.
