OSU researchers buzz into action: Major grant fuels study on honey bee mystery disease

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon State University (OSU) researchers have received a $4.2 million grant from the U.S. government to study European foulbrood disease, which is killing honey bees.

The cause of European foulbrood disease is a bacteria that infects honey bees at the larval stage, quickly turning the newly hatched bee larvae into brown mush.

European foulbrood disease has been on the rise in recent years, hurting beekeepers and causing a decline in persistent honey bee colonies, especially those who pollinate crops like highbush blueberries, an early-season specialty crop.

'It’s an enigmatic disease. We understand the basics, but we don’t know why this disease flares up some years and then goes down,' said project director Ramesh Sagili, a professor in OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences and an apiculturist with OSU Extension Service. 'Researchers have done smaller targeted studies of this disease, but no one has really investigated it comprehensively with a large-scale, longitudinal study.'

Researchers will follow honey bee hives as they are transported by commercial beekeepers to pollinate almonds and then blueberries across Washington, Oregon, California and Mississippi.

1,536 hives will be tagged for observation, which includes checking the frames for signs of foulbrood, estimating colony populations and surveying the microbiota of bees and larvae.

Where foulbrood evidence is found, samples will be collected and sent to the lab for genetic testing to determine new variants for bacteria and whether or not specific strains of the bacteria are more virulent, or pervasive than others.

Pollen traps will be installed on the hives, collecting pollen as the bees re-enter their hives, to monitor colonies' nutrition. This gives researchers a chance to determine if the quantity or diversity of pollen plays a role in hives’ susceptibility to foulbrood. Temperature and humidity will also be monitored to discover if there are any impacts.

“The beekeeping industry and specialty crop producers such as blueberry and almond growers are really excited about this grant,” he said. “It’s a huge, multidisciplinary collaborative effort with the states, the beekeepers and the farmers involved in this project.”

In addition to Sagili, OSU researchers Jeff Chang, Andony Melathopoulos, Maude David and Tim Delbridge will be working on the grant, which also includes education and outreach with OSU Extension.

In February of 2024 field work will begin in California, where beekeepers from around the country bring their hives to pollinate almonds, as one of the first crops of the year.

For more information, visit the Oregon State University website.