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Fireweed honey is made in the clear mountain air.Funding for Bee Disease Resistance Identification Announced
GenomeBC has just announced that it is starting a $2.8 million project to analyse honeybee populations for disease resistance genes. The project is led by UBC Researcher Dr. Leonard Foster, who along with Dr. Steve Pernal, a bee disease researcher with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Beaverlodge), and Dr. Katherine Baylis (UBC) will work on developing the ability to identify disease resistance genes in the bee population.
The project will use proteomics to try to identify the proteins that are present in bees that are disease resisant, but not in bees that are sensitive to disease. Identification of these proteins can then be used to identify genetic markers in the honeybee genome that can then be used to enhance dthe effectiveness of disease breeding programs by quickly identifying genetic lines that contain resistance genes.
The project will focus on genes for resistance to varroa mites, American Foulbrood and Nosema. All are serious diseases that are responsible for considerable beehive losses worldwide. They also are likely to be a factor in Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) which has been plaguing beekeepers in North America for the past several years. CCD has resulted in severe beehive losses, resulting in a shortage of bee hives.
