UK prof to discuss honey bee behaviors at Washington Co. Beekeepers’ July meeting

NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
Agricultural News

Monday, June 25, 2018 — Dr. Clare Rittschof, a University of Kentucky assistant professor of entomology, will present a synopsis of her study of honey bee behavior at the Monday, July 2, 2018, meeting of the Washington County Beekeepers.

DR. CLARE RITTSCHOF

The evening at the Washington County Extension Office, 245 Corporate Drive, Springfield, will begin with a potluck meal at 6:30 p.m. Rittschof will begin her presentation after a brief business meeting at 7 pm.

In her research, Rittschof found that “honey bees are highly social creatures that live in large colonies of about 40,000 individuals and one queen. Every member of the hive works together to benefit the colony. Some of the tasks adult bees perform include making honey, nursing young, foraging for food, building honey comb structures, and defending the colony.” (http://datanuggets.org/2017/06/bee-aggressive/)

Honey bees face many obstacles and threats such as animal predators (bears and skunks), robber bees from other hives which are trying to steal honey, and, of course, beekeepers who harvest the stored honey. In her research, Rittschof found that bee colonies “adjust their defenses to match threats found in their environment” and that colonies in high risk areas increase aggressive behaviors, while colonies in areas of reduced threats exhibit lowered aggression.

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