UNews - Shelley Hoover

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge student creates first bumble bee reference book for Lethbridge

trevor.kenney — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:41:40 +0000

Lethbridge bee enthusiasts are buzzing about a new resource that ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge student Jessenia Buzunis-Delagneau just released. The free, downloadable book — Bumble Bees of Lethbridge, Alberta — details the bumble bee population in the city, including pictures of each species, the behaviours they exhibit and even the flowers they like to frequent.

Jessenia Buzunis-Delagneau is sharing her love of bumble bees through her new Lethbridge bumble bee guide.

“There’s never been a bumble bee guide for Lethbridge, and as part of my thesis project, we were looking at floral interactions of honeybees and bumble bees. I was out searching for all these bumble bees, taking pictures and identifying them and thought it would be kind of cool to bring that all together and have one place where you could look at all the bumble bees that live in our city,” says Buzunis-Delagneau.

She’s identified and detailed 12 of the likely 14 species of bumble bees that occur in Lethbridge. Her observations were compiled from the summer of 2024 and included 364 observed bumble bee floral interactions.

The most prevalent bumble bee in Lethbridge is the Hunt’s Bumble Bee (Bombus huntii), which can be found visiting plants such as yellow sweet clover, the common sunflower, Russian sage and squash flowers. It is identifiable by two orange stripes on its back and other characteristics detailed in the guide.

A male Nevada Bumble Bee

But why is this guide important? Buzunis-Delagneau and her supervisor Dr. Shelley Hoover (Department of Biological Sciences) explain that conservation of a species begins with understanding.

“One of the things I discovered while I was out identifying bees is that people were interested in what I was doing and would ask a lot of questions,” says Buzunis-Delagneau. “I also kept hearing from people that they’d seen fewer bumble bees in Lethbridge in recent years and studies back that up, showing that bumble bee numbers have been declining in recent years.”

Hoover says that if you want people to take notice, they need to understand the species and its role in the ecosystem.

“I think an important step in conservation science is getting people to care about the animals,” she says. “You can do all the science you want, but it's not going to be acted upon if nobody cares.”

Citizen science has seen an explosion of interest in recent years with the emergence of platforms such as iNaturalist (inaturalist.org). These sites can aid scientists by adding to or filling in data gaps. Bees, especially large-bodied bees like bumble bees, are more frequently observed by civilian scientists, aiding conservation efforts. For Canadian and U.S. bumble bees, the Bumble Bee Watch (bumblebeewatch.org) site was created for civilian scientists to add their photos and observations.

The Western Bumble Bee

Buzunis-Delagneau sees her book as another tool for people interested in bumble bees to learn a little more about the species.

“I think my hope is basically to just spread the love,” she laughs. “I hope people will download it, have a look at it and learn a little bit about bumble bees, what they’re looking at in their gardens and what they are seeing. Then take some pictures and post them on iNaturalist.”

Those posting to iNaturalist will be identified by the app and by consensus.

The book can be downloaded for free at https://opus.uleth.ca/items/0a82a98e-3b29-4e36-9cdd-caa6f1f57c45.

Alberta researchers to study honey bee viruses

caroline.zentner — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 20:55:19 +0000

A team of Alberta researchers has received grants worth $400,000 to study honey bee viruses.

Drs. Trushar Patel, a Canada Research Chair and associate professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and Shelley Hoover, a ULethbridge associate professor in Biological Sciences and honey bee expert, are teaming up with Drs. Wade Abbott, a scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Lara Mahal, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Glycomics at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, to better understand how these honey bee-infecting viruses are transmitted and how they interact with their host.

"Understanding the mechanisms of honey bee viruses is crucial for developing effective strategies to protect these vital pollinators,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge vice-president of research. “The collaborative efforts of these researchers will pave the way for innovative solutions to combat these viruses and ensure the sustainability of our agricultural ecosystems."

“Right now, no therapeutics are available to fight these viruses,” says Patel. “We need to know more about how these RNA viruses infect honey bees before we can develop tools to combat the viruses.”

Honey bees are vital to agriculture and food production around the world, accounting for over $7 billion worth of food, honey and other bee products in Canada alone. In 2023, Alberta was home to nearly 40 per cent of honey bee colonies in Canada, and Alberta bees produced the same amount of the country’s honey. The production of hybrid canola seeds in southern Alberta depends on managed honey and leafcutter bees.

However, since 2006, Canadian bee colonies have experienced increased winter mortality, with over 50 per cent mortality in some regions in some years. Major factors influencing mortality are parasites, viral and bacterial infections, weather, forage availability, queen bee quality and the use of pesticides.

Viruses, such as deformed wing virus (DWV) and sacbrood virus (SBV), are an important part of the problem. These viruses hijack the bee’s cellular machinery and cause disease that spreads through a colony, resulting in lost productivity and even colony death.

The study is expected to take two to three years and will boost understanding of how these RNA viruses interact with host proteins.

“The proposed work represents what we believe is the first focused effort on identifying honey bee proteins necessary for viral replication,” he says. “This work will lay a strong foundation for further research work directed towards developing potential therapeutics against bee-infecting viruses,” says Patel. “Training highly qualified personnel is also a crucial component of our interdisciplinary work.”

Funding for the project came through the Agriculture Funding Consortium and was provided by Alberta Innovates and Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR), as well as through the Canadian Glycomics Network (GlycoNet) Research Pipeline Program.

Dr. Shelley Hoover explores the wonders of the honey bee at the next PUBlic Professor Series event

trevor.kenney — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 20:23:25 +0000

The honey bee is one of the most intriguing species on the planet — and one of the most important. From increasing the amount and nutritive value of our food crops to literally producing light, they are enthralling creatures that have been studied throughout history.

Dr. Shelley Hoover is one of Canada’s foremost bee researchers.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Dr. Shelley Hoover, one of Canada’s foremost bee researchers, will unlock some of the mysteries surrounding the incomparable honey bee at the next PUBlic Professor Series lecture, Fiat Lux (or, why honey bees are practically magic) on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Agri-Food Hub & Trade Centre. Note this is a new venue and new night for a PUBlic Professor Series event.

“Everybody has a story about bees, whether they’re a gardener and they like bees to pollinate their garden, or maybe they have a beekeeper in their family or they love to eat honey, or they’ve been stung by a bee — bees have been captivating people for thousands of years,” says Hoover, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. “In my talk, I’ll discuss what it is about bees that captivates us, how we use bees in our daily lives, and how research solutions in my lab are helping bees in Canada become healthier.”

Hoover studies bees, their interactions with one another, with other organisms, and with their environment. Her lab has ongoing research in diverse areas related to this theme, including how parasites alter bee behaviour, the honey bee microbiome, the breeding and management of honey bees, the role of pheromones in social structure, pollination and how environmental change affects the interactions between plants and pollinators.

Honey bees can live nearly anywhere on Earth, they are integral to food crops, and they make hive products that are eaten, used in medicine, cosmetics, dentistry, waterproofing, lubricants, polishes, ornamentation and art, cooking, sewing, metal casting, sealing documents, and yes, literally to produce light. With their complex social structure, behaviours and communication, it is no wonder they have fascinated people for centuries.

The annual PUBlic Professor Series lectures spark thought-provoking discussions on the most relevant topics of the day, bringing together a diverse group of experts and researchers from across campus and into the community. Every talk is free of charge.

2024-25 PUBlic Professor Series

Fiat Lux (Or, why honey bees are practically magic) — Dr. Shelley Hoover, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024 — Agri-Food Hub & Trade Centre

Will Generative AI Change the World? — Dr. Sidney Shapiro, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 — Slice Bar and Grill

Political and Policy Innovation in Alberta: The More Things Change . . . ? — Dr. Lars Hallstrom, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 — Sandman Signature Lodge

Sentimental Songs for Sentimental People — Dr. Emily Gale, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 — The Owl

Does Reading Even Matter Anymore? — Dr. Robin Bright (BA ’79, BEd ’82, MEd ’88), Thursday, Mar. 27, 2025 — Sandman Signature Lodge

Developing sufficient Canadian honey bee stocks

caroline.zentner — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 20:11:21 +0000

It’s hard being a honey bee these days. They face attack by mites and parasites, pesticides and extreme weather events associated with climate change, such as floods, droughts and fires, all of which make it increasingly difficult for honey bees to thrive.

Honey bees are vital for pollination of many crops, including high-value crops like blueberries, canola hybrid seed production and canola as a commodity. The result of high mortality rates among honey bees is crops that are under-pollinated and produce lower yields.

Although importing honey bees from other countries has helped mitigate the losses, beekeepers largely prefer to use Canadian honey bees because they are better adapted to the climate, environment and pathogens.

“Given the pollination needs in Canada, becoming self-sufficient in honey bee production is essential,” says Dr. Shelley Hoover, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge professor and bee expert. “Producing more Canadian queen bees would certainly help alleviate the shortage of local honey bees.”

To work towards that goal, Dr. Leonard Foster from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia and a group of collaborators including Hoover, have been awarded a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Sustainable Agriculture grant worth nearly $4.5 million over four years, of which close to $760,000 is coming to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The researchers want to develop methods for over-wintering queen bees as a step towards creating a more sustainable and resilient agriculture sector.

Canada’s climate makes it difficult for beekeepers to raise new queens early enough in the spring to produce large colonies in time for pollination. One solution could be to produce those queens in the preceding season and overwinter them for sale in the spring. Beekeepers do overwinter bees, but typically it’s a whole colony with a single queen. To become self-sufficient, many more queens are needed. The researchers propose to overwinter queens in small nucleus colonies. They’ll be collaborating with beekeepers involved in commercial queen production, as well as technology transfer programs to ensure the development of usable methods and procedures for beekeepers.

“We want to help ensure resiliency and self-sufficiency in the Canadian bee supply that will lead to more income for beekeepers and farmers and more calories produced with a net-negative impact on greenhouse gas emissions,” says Hoover.

Hoover will be the featured speaker at the next PUBlic Professor Series talk on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre. Her talk is titled Fiat Lux (or, why honey bees are practically magic).

Ending homelessness the first topic of engaging 2024-2025 PUBlic Professor Series

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 15:33:05 +0000

Six topics, six issues and six opportunities to engage with the experts who are at the forefront of research and fostering understanding — the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge presents the lineup for the 2024-25 PUBlic Professor Series.

Dr. Rebecca Schiff says hope is not lost in the struggle to end homelessness.

The annual lecture series designed to spark thought-provoking discussions on the most relevant topics of the day brings together a diverse group of experts and researchers from across campus and into the community. Every talk is free of charge.

“At its core, PUBlic Professor has always been about community outreach and allowing the broader community the opportunity to engage with our faculty members and tap into their insight and expertise,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge’s vice-president (research). “This year’s lineup of speakers is diverse in subject matter, extremely topical and one I’m really excited about. We have some very difficult issues that will hit close to home for many people and others that are more light and extremely fascinating. I think it shows the breadth of study here at ULethbridge and the opportunities our students enjoy every day.”

The first talk of the series, on Thursday, Sept. 26, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge, features Dr. Rebecca Schiff discussing one of the most pressing issues of the day — Ending Homelessness.

The rate of homelessness has exploded across Canada, and Schiff has an important message: hope is not cancelled. For nearly two decades, Schiff has worked with individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as homelessness agencies and organizations across the country on diverse homelessness research and action-research projects to understand how we can move towards a society where everyone is safely housed.

“Unfortunately, over the past two to three years, homelessness has doubled, tripled or more in most communities across our country,” says Schiff. “In my talk, I’ll share ideas, thoughts, solutions and actions that we can take to ensure that we can end homelessness in Canada.”

A transdisciplinary scholar and administrator whose research spans the fields of health sciences, social sciences, humanities and environmental sciences, Schiff began her role as deputy provost in May 2024. Her research work has included funding from a wide array of sources, including the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). She has been a principal or co-applicant on 50-plus research projects totaling over $13 million in grants and has authored/co-authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications. She has also produced three books, with her most recent — Pandemic preparedness and homelessness: International lessons from COVID-19 — released in September 2024.

Ensuing talks take place in October, November and January, February and March 2025. The series will also be held at some new venues, including the Agri-Food Hub & Trade Centre, The Slice Bar and Grill, and Owl Acoustic Lounge.

“Some of the topics lend themselves well to new venues and hopefully we will welcome some new community members and ULethbridge alumni who have never experienced a PUBlic Professor presentation before,” adds McMartin.

The series lineup is as follows:

2024-25 PUBlic Professor Series

Ending Homelessness — Dr. Rebecca Schiff, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Fiat Lux (Or, why honey bees are practically magic) — Dr. Shelley Hoover, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024 — Lethbridge & District Exhibition Agri-Food Hub & Trade Centre

Will Generative AI Change the World? — Dr. Sidney Shapiro, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 — The Slice Bar and Grill

Political and Policy Innovation in Alberta: The More Things Change . . . ? — Dr. Lars Hallstrom, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Sentimental Songs for Sentimental People — Dr. Emily Gale, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 — Owl Acoustic Lounge

Does Reading Even Matter Anymore? — Dr. Robin Bright (BA ’79, BEd ’82, MEd ’88), Thursday, Mar. 27, 2025 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Broad areas of research awarded federal funding

caroline.zentner — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 21:03:34 +0000

A spectrum of research projects at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge have been awarded nearly $2.6 million in federal funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

The funding is part of $693.8 million for several NSERC research competitions recently announced on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

“This investment in ULethbridge research activities speaks to the excellence and nationally competitive research we do — everything from mapping fuels for wildland fires to bee behaviour and the dynamics of black holes,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, vice-president research. “Our researchers investigate topics that impact the ways we understand the world around us and the complex influences and interconnectedness of the natural environment, agriculture and food security, and deep space phenomena.”

In addition, Dr. Monique Giroux had her Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Métis Music renewed for $500,000 through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

In all, 14 ULethbridge projects are receiving funding support from NSERC through the Discovery Grant and Discovery Development Grant programs. Among them are the following projects:

Dr. Laura Chasmer, a professor in the Department of Geography & Environment, will use novel Earth observation and geospatial data to examine how variations in vegetation ecosystems, both in space and in time, may enhance and reduce wildfires in Western Canada. The research program, which will include Indigenous land managers and knowledge keepers, will develop new ways of understanding fire hazards and recommendations for ecosystem management to lessen the impact of fire and improve the resilience of ecosystems and communities.
Dr. Sergio Pellis, Department of Neuroscience, will investigate the role of rough-and-tumble play or play-fighting in the development of cognitive and social skills in non-human mammals. Based on preliminary findings, Pellis hypothesizes that species with more complex social systems that require them to negotiate more varied relationships will have patterns of play that train youngsters for the social skills they’ll need as adults.

Discovery Grants

The funding listed for the following projects is over five years:

Dr. Theresa Burg, Biological Sciences — Evolution of High Latitude Birds ($200,000)
Dr. Shelley Hoover, Biological Sciences — Interactions between social bee behaviour and health ($190,000)
Dr. Steve Wiseman, Biological Sciences — Toxicant Induced Dysregulation of Oocyte Maturation ($235,000)
Dr. Nehal Thakor, Chemistry & Biochemistry — Regulation of mRNA Translation During Cellular Stress and Apoptosis ($200,000)
Dr. Laura Chasmer, Geography & Environment — Spatio-temporal variations in wildland fire fuel connectivity and behaviour using multi-data analytics ($275,000)
Dr. Joy Morris, Mathematics & Computer Science — Unexpected Symmetries of Graphs ($135,000)
Dr. David Euston, Neuroscience — Risk, Reinforcement Schedules, and Dopamine ($165,000)
Dr. Sergio Pellis, Neuroscience — Social play, the prefrontal cortex and the development of socio-cognitive skills ($275,000)
Dr. Alexandra Tetarenko, Physics & Astronomy — Unravelling how black holes power explosive outflows ($145,000)
Dr. Stephanus Henzi, Psychology — Contingency and Specificity in the Structure and Dynamics of Social Behaviour in Baboons and Vervet Monkeys ($235,000)
Dr. Jean-Baptiste Leca, Psychology — Mechanisms and evolution of material culture in primates: Does object play facilitate tool use? ($268,690)
Dr. Jamal Mansour, Psychology — Measuring cognitive processes that predict eyewitness identification performance ($165,000)

Discovery Development Grants

The funding listed for the following projects is over two years:

Dr. Philip Bonaventure, Geography & Environment — Climatic, geomorphic and ecosystem-driven multi-scale permafrost modelling and testing ($40,0000)
Dr. David Morris, Mathematics & Computer Science — Arithmetic groups, orderability, bounded generation and automorphisms ($40,000)

The Research Support Fund supports a portion of the costs associated with managing the research funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, such as salaries for staff who provide administration support, training costs for workplace health and safety, maintenance of libraries and laboratories, and administrative costs associated with obtaining patents for inventions.

Agriculture research, innovation and training earns RDAR support, extending three important faculty positions

trevor.kenney — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 15:37:01 +0000

A trio of term-limited ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers in the Department of Biological Sciences have secured nearly $700,000 in funding support from Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) that will allow their important agriculture portfolios to continue through 2027-28.

Drs. Michele Konschuh, Shelley Hoover and Kim Stanford, who originally joined ULethbridge as part of the Agriculture Research Transition Project in 2020, have enhanced the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s capacity in agricultural research, innovation and training while expanding partnerships with the Alberta agri-food industry. Extending their faculty positions for an additional five years opens even greater opportunities for their respective research programs.

“The impact of their work has been substantial both on and off campus,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge’s vice-president (research). “With this five-year extension, it allows them the opportunity to take on longer-term research projects, apply for federal funding programs and train more students for our region and beyond. This arrangement also ensures that we continue to grow the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s partnerships with local and global agri-food industries.”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ officials, faculty members and RDAR representatives were on hand for the funding announcement.

Working out of Science Commons, one of the most advanced transdisciplinary science facilities of its kind in Canada, Konschuh, Hoover and Stanford will utilize the RDAR support to enhance research programs that are closely aligned with the challenges and needs of local producers.

“RDAR is pleased to support the good work that these scientists are pursuing,” says RDAR Chair, Dr. David Chalack. “We cannot see great results for Alberta’s producers without investing in the people and building capacity for those who are driving positive change for the province. These scientists are leaders in their field, managing research and extension programs that are producer-led, outcome-driven, and industry-supported, filling a much-needed gap in the agri-food research ecosystem.”

One goal of Konschuh’s research is to improve the sustainability of crops given a changing climate. Her work in this area can help evaluate new crops and lead to the selection of new varieties. Current crops like potatoes, sugar beets and seed canola will remain as research focuses. This research also has implications for regenerative agricultural practices such as no-till farming, planting cover crops and rotational grazing.

“I’ll be working with local producers and agri-businesses like the Potato Growers of Alberta, Farming Smarter and Galaxy Ag Ventures,” says Konschuh. “It’s important to identify the priorities of crop producers and help them transition to more sustainable practices while reducing risks associated with climate change.”

RDAR Chair David Chalack speaks with ULethbridge President and Vice-chancellor Dr. Digvir Jayas.

Stanford continues to build on her research that investigates cattle feed and food-borne pathogens. She’s examining ways to improve the detection and control of pathogenic E. coli, as well as building knowledge of the factors that can lead to toxicity in cattle feed.

“Along with minimizing the negative effects on animals, my research aims to identify sustainable feed sources for producers, such as creating silage using food waste from grocery stores,” says Stanford.

Her research also examines pathogens that can transfer from cattle to humans or vice-versa to improve detection and prevent future outbreaks of foodborne disease. Several partners, such as Alberta Beef Producers, Beef Cattle Research Council, Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development and individual producers and feedlot owners, are involved to ensure the research supports the beef industry.

Whether it’s producing feed for cattle or bountiful crops, pollinating insects are an essential component. Hoover’s research into honeybees covers the gamut from nutrition, parasites and viruses to their management and economics. Hoover concentrates on honeybee health, commercial beekeeping and their work as pollinators. Her work aligns with the Alberta Beekeepers Commission’s emphasis on the health of honeybees, the honey industry and pollination.

“My work with various partners, locally, nationally and internationally, is aimed at ensuring our honeybees are healthy, not only for their important role as pollinators but also as producers of honey,” says Hoover.

RDAR is an arm’s length, non-profit corporation designed to enable Alberta producers to determine priorities and lead agriculture research. By collaborating with scientists and researchers, RDAR taps into existing talent and funds ideas generated by innovators to push the boundaries of Alberta’s agriculture potential.

RDAR funding award supporting U of L research into health of queen bees and their colonies

trevor.kenney — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 15:47:32 +0000

Queen bee might sound like a nice title to hold but when it comes to honey bees, the title carries the responsibility of being the sole reproductive female in the colony. With queen health so critically linked to the success or failure of a colony, it’s a lot of pressure.

A queen bee in the midst of her colony of workers.

A new study by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge biological sciences researcher Dr. Shelley Hoover is examining the linkages between queen health and colony success, and the factors that mediate these relationships. The project, The Royal Treatment: Improving honey bee queen health as the basis of integrated colony health, is supported by a four-year, $496,513 funding grant from Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR).

“Dr. Hoover’s research aligns with a critically important priority identified by Alberta’s bee producers on the availability of a sustainable source of high-quality queens, supporting overall hive performance,” says Clinton Dobson, RDAR research director. “RDAR is pleased to partner with the Alberta Beekeepers Commission to accelerate this area of research and ensure that Alberta’s Beekeepers and the honey industry reach their full potential here in Alberta.“

Dr. Shelley Hoover working with her bees.

Alberta beekeepers, who account for 40 per cent of all the honey bee colonies in Canada, have faced very high levels of winter colony loss in recent years. In 2019-20 alone, they reported a 41 per cent colony winter morbidity rate.

“Imagine if the cattle producers lost 40 per cent of their cows over winter, it's huge,” says Hoover, who recently joined the U of L after spending the previous eight years at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre. “Beekeepers are able to make replacement colonies in a way other livestock producers can't because a big colony can be split, but you need a queen to do that.”

Queen health is critical for colony success and Hoover says beekeepers cite poor queens as one of the most common reasons for winter loss.

“Queens are really the heart of the colony,” she says. “They're the mother of all the workers in the colony.”

While many biotic (parasites, pathogens) and abiotic (weather, pesticides) stressors contribute to colony mortality, queen health has received surprisingly little attention.

“One reason is it’s difficult to do the research in a non-disruptive way. When we study parasites and diseases, we usually have to kill the bees to take a sample and analyze,” says Hoover. “It’s much less disruptive to take a sample of 30 worker bees than it is to take a queen. It makes it very difficult to measure colony productivity and queen health without destroying the queen so you can get the information you need.”

Hoover’s research will support the work of undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students and focus on three key objectives.

Specifically, the proposed project will examine methods of requeening, as well as storing locally produced queens. Secondly, the project will examine the linkages between queen health and reproduction, queen pheromones, worker behaviours, and colony performance with the goal of providing beekeepers on-farm methods by which they can evaluate queens before introducing them into colonies. Finally, the study will provide beekeepers with specific queen management recommendations.

“We've always worked really closely with beekeepers and they've been extremely supportive,” says Hoover, who has about 100 colonies of bees on campus at the U of L. “This project is directly in collaboration with the Alberta Beekeepers Commission.”

Grace Strom, a High River beekeeper who also sits on the Alberta Beekeepers Commission (ABC), says Hoover’s work has been invaluable to beekeepers as they look to continually advance their knowledge.

“I am thrilled Dr. Hoover continues to support beekeeping in the province of Alberta through her very valuable research on queens,” says Strom. “Dr. Hoover has listened well to the needs of beekeepers and continues to focus her work on meaningful ways of improving hive health. We are confident her research will lead to more sustainable beekeeping in the province.”

Provincial support expanding agricultural research at U of L

trevor.kenney — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 22:26:42 +0000

In July, Alberta’s government and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge signed a $1.8-million agreement, which saw three programs transferred to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and provided it with the financial capacity to recruit three researchers.

Drs. Shelley Hoover, Michele Konschuh and Kim Stanford are introduced to campus.

On Thursday, Drs. Shelley Hoover (apiculture and pollination), Michele Konschuh (irrigated crops) and Kim Stanford (livestock pathogens) were introduced.

These researchers bring world-leading experience and expertise to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and create even greater learning experiences for students. Welcoming these researchers brings together multiple disciplines and opens up even more chances for collaboration.

“The addition of Doctors Konschuh, Hoover and Stanford will expand the breadth of agriculture research on our campus, while their programs and experience will inform and enhance the greater work of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s talented faculty members. Our institution values collaboration and trans-disciplinary research. Having these talented individuals working in tandem with our existing researchers will lead to new discoveries benefiting the communities we serve," says Dr. Robert Wood, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's vice-president (research).

This agreement is a part of the Alberta government’s commitment to ensuring farmers and ranchers lead agriculture research priorities. Establishing Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR), an arm’s-length non-profit corporation, is a first step in making sure research funding priorities are producer-led. Over the long term, RDAR will assume ongoing responsibility for the funding agreement with the U of L.

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is closely connected to southern Alberta’s agriculture activities through its research, teaching and outreach activities," says U of L President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon. "The addition of these three research programs will further our agriculture research capacity on campus, and allow the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to enhance its already close connectivity to this critical industry in the years ahead.”

UNews - Shelley Hoover

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge student creates first bumble bee reference book for Lethbridge

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