DNA and a Supercomputer Partner to Sustain Honey Bees: New Research from Ohio State
November 20, 2015
From: TheBuzz@OSU | Stories, News and Updates from the World of Pollinators
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To uncover what plants honey bees rely on, researchers from The Ohio State University are using the latest DNA sequencing technology and a supercomputer. They spent months collecting pollen from beehives and have developed a multi-locus metabarcoding approach to identify which plants, and what proportions of each, are present in pollen samples.
A single colony can collect pollen from dozens of different plant species, and this pollen is useful evidence of the colony’s foraging behavior and nutrition preferences.
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