World Honey Bee Health

Professor Dr. Jamie Ellis | |

Task Force Chair Dr. Ellis is the Gahan Endowed Professor of Entomology in the Entomology and Nematology Department at the University of Florida (UF). At the University of Florida, Dr. Ellis has responsibilities in extension, instruction, and research related to honey bees. Regarding his extension work, Dr. Ellis created the UF Bee College, the UF Master Beekeeper Program, Two Bees in a Podcast, and the YouTube Beekeeping Academy series. As an instructor, Dr. Ellis supervises Ph.D. and MS students studying honey bees. Dr. Ellis and his team conduct research projects in the fields of honey bee husbandry and ecology. He is also a Council Member for the International Bee Research Association (IBRA) and an editor of the COLOSS BEEBOOK series.

Maria Bouga | |

Task Force Co-Vice Chair & European Coordinator Dr. Bouga is Scientific Collaborator in the Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology of the Agricultural University of Athens in Greece. Her research and teaching activities cover aspects of molecular taxonomy, genetics, and apiculture, focusing specifically on the genetics of honey bees, honey dew insects, and Varroa destructor. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the COLOSS Honey Bee Research Association and is the Senior Editor of the Journal of Apicultural Research (JAR).

Dr. Samir Moura Kadri | |

Task Force Co-Vice Chair & South America Coordinator Dr. Kadri has an extensive background in honey bee husbandry. His expertise includes genome wide association studies, gene expression, and transcriptome analyses concerning bee ecotoxicology with African-derived Apis mellifera. He serves on the Scientific Technical Committee of the Brazilian Beekeeping Confederation (CBRACA). Additionally, Dr. Kadri is a member of the board of directors for three beekeepers’ associations in Brazil and works as a field technician for small, medium, and large beekeepers across the country. He is also the founder of HoneyBee Apiaries Company, which engages in the commercial production of propolis, honey, and wax.

Dr. Beatrice Tchuidjang Nganso | |

Africa Coordinator Dr. Nganso is a Research Scientist in the Environmental Health Theme at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi, Kenya. She holds a PhD (2019) and MSc. (2012) in entomology from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and the University of Ghana, respectively, and a BSc in Zoology (2009) from the University of Buea, Cameroon. Before joining icipe, she worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow (2019–2022) at the Agricultural Research Organization, the Volcani Center, Israel. Her research examines the mechanisms underlying health and biodiversity in insect pollinators as they interact with associated biotic/abiotic stressors to improve their health and productivity. Beatrice is also an active COLOSS Regional Coordinator for Africa, and an active participant in the Colony Loss Monitoring Core Project of COLOSS.

Dr. Vicky Soroker | |

Israel & Russia Coordinator Dr. Soroker is a Senior Researcher specializing in chemical ecology, physiology and integrated pest management in the Department of Entomology, Chemistry, and Nematology, Volcani Center, Israel. She joined COLOSS in 2008. Her research foci include evaluating the level and causes of honey bee colony losses. Furthermore, she works to develop an integrated approach to Varroa destructor management, including methods directed at reduction of mite fitness and promoting honey bee individual and social resistance to the mite via breeding. Much of her research is done in collaboration with COLOSS members, as she is an active participant in the Monitoring Core Project, Varroa Control, RNSBB, and the Honey Bee Health Task Forces. She is a member of the Executive Committee of COLOSS, a member of the International Bee Research Association Council, and an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Apicultural Research.

Professor Dr. Irfan Kandemir | |

Middle East Coordinator Dr. Kandemir is a Professor at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, at Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye. He obtained his Ph.D. in honey bee population genetics from Middle East Technical University, Ankara – Türkiye. He spent many years working in APIS molecular systematics laboratory of W.S. Sheppard at the Department of Entomology at WSU, Pullman, WA, USA. Dr. Kandemir conducted studies not only on honey bee diversity, but also Colorado potato beetle, olive fly, house fly, and mosquito population genetics in Türkiye. He supervised many graduate theses on honey bee population genetics, Nosema disease and Varroa destructor. He serves as an editorial board member of the Journal of Apicultural Research. He is also an Advisory Board member of the Turkish Scientific and Research Council. He has been a member of COLOSS and RNSBB since 2015.

Dr. Mohamed Alburaki | |

North America Coordinator Dr. Alburaki is a Scientific Researcher at the United States Department of Agriculture, Bee Research Laboratory, in Beltsville, Maryland, USA. He obtained his Ph.D. in honey bee genetics and behavior from the Sorbonne University, Paris, France. He is a lifelong beekeeper who has practiced beekeeping in many countries. Dr. Alburaki conducted extensive scientific research on honey bee diversity, evolution, functional genomics, and toxicity during his professional career in the Middle East, France, Canada, and the U.S. He currently supervises the Bee Disease Diagnostic services at the USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory. His research’s ultimate objective is to develop sustainable strategies to promote and enhance the performance and health of honey bee colonies in contemporary agricultural ecosystems.

Dr. Ashley Mortensen | |

Oceania Coordinator Dr. Mortensen is a Senior Scientist in the Bee Biology and Productivity Team at The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd. She has a keen interest in animal behaviour and biology that led her to begin her career as a zookeeper in San Antonio, Texas, USA, and then to keeping honey bees as a hobby. Quickly, her fascination with the physiology and collective behaviour of colonies grew to the point that she began graduate study at the University of Florida, USA. Currently, her team conducts basic and applied research with relevance to Aotearoa-New Zealand’s beekeeping, horticultural, and arable industries to improve bee health and productivity for enhanced honey production and pollination service delivery while minimising negative impacts to endemic species and ecosystems.

Asst. Professor Dr. Neloy Kumar Chakroborty | |

South Central Asia Coordinator Dr. Chakroborty is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cognitive Science at Thapar School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology in Punjab, India. His research focuses on the health and well being of honey bees. Dr. Chakroborty is investigating the toxicity signatures of the organophosphate, neonicotinoid and pyrethroid insecticides at the cognitive, neural, and molecular levels in Apis mellifera. His lab is also working on the potential detoxification effects of phytochemicals to ameliorate insecticide induced toxicity. Further, he performs fundamental research on the learning and memory mechanisms in Apis mellifera. Dr. Chakroborty teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses and trains Ph.D. students.

Professor Dr. Guntima Suwannapong | |

Southeast Asia Coordinator Dr. Suwannapong is a Professor of Entomology in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Burapha University, Chon Buri, Thailand. She received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Zoology from the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, and her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences (Entomology) from Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. She did her postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA. She received a Fulbright scholarship as a visiting professor at the Section of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, California, USA. She was a visiting professor at the Department of Zoologie, Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, Germany, and the Department of Entomology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. Her research focuses on honey bee histopathology, diseases, and honey bee communication.