EPSAM

I began my PhD in May 2011 having graduated in July 2010 and spent time working for both the Forensic Investigations Unit of Cheshire Police, and IPSEN Biopharmaceuticals.

My undergraduate dual honours Forensic Science with Biology degree, coupled with industrial experience, has allowed me to gain a valuable understanding of analytical chemistry techniques routinely used for the identification of compounds and substances.

This, coupled with a working knowledge of the biological sciences has enabled me to combine the two areas well in my post-graduate research project.

Improving honeybee health by enhancing the palatability of food supplements

Lead supervisor:  Dr Falko Drijfhout

The current challenges facing honey bees are well documented. The recent declines in colony numbers globally have led to concerns over sustainable long term food production, with crop monocultures believed to be putting honey bees under increased nutritional stresses.

One way to increase nutrient diversity, and boost colony population, is to feed artificial high-protein supplemental diets to colonies. Such diets can be poorly consumed unless additional natural pollen is mixed in. Funded through agricultural research sponsorship from both the Perry Foundation and the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA), my project focuses on the chemical analysis of compounds within honey bee foraged pollens.

I employ techniques including HPLC-UV, GC-MS, and LC-MS, in conjunction with colony bioassays, to monitor feeding response to pollen extracts when offered in an otherwise poorly accepted artificial diet.

The broad aim of my project is to isolate and identify naturally occurring feeding stimulants within pollens that increase honey bee feeding response to artificial. Potentially, these could then be added to commercial artificial diets to increase uptake.