Keywords

  • animal behavior
  • apiculture
  • apis mellifera
  • behavioral ecology
  • complex behavior
  • honeybee
  • honey bee
  • honey bee biology
  • host-parasite
  • master beekeeper
  • parasites
  • social behavior
  • sociobiology
  • varroa destructor

Calderone, Nicholas W

Associate Professor
My professional activities include research, teaching and extension in the Department of Entomology. My primary responsibility is the study of honey bees and the development of programs to solve problems facing the beekeeping industry. I conduct both basic and applied research on honey bees, often focusing on basic research with an applied offshoot. I maintain an active, multi-faceted extension program that provides education and training in the skills required to be a successful beekeeper. I also teach an undergraduate class on the biology of the honey bee and another in practical beekeeping.

research

research and scholarship focus

  • Biology of honey bee pests, parasites, pathogens and predators

    •  During the past several years, my colleagues and I have been investigating the host-seeking behavior of the adult female mite, Varroa jacobsoni. We have been seeking to identify the chemical and physical stimuli that the mite uses to find appropriate adult and immature hosts. We have found that female mites can differentiate between nurse bees and foragers, and we are examining the behavioral repsonses of mites to nurse bee and forager kairomones. We are currently isolating the specific chemicals involved in each of these processes.

    The organization and evolution of insect societies

         My current research examines one section of a colony's task structure - pollen collection:

    • Explore how a colony integrates information about diverse stimuli that affect its need for pollen into an appropriate behavioral response.
    • Examine the individual-level activities that contribute to the colony-level decision-making process.
    • Identify the specific stimuli assessed by each of the different players in the pollen collection system.
    • Examine how workers acquire information about the colony's need for pollen and how they disseminate that information to nestmates.

    Integrated Pest Management of honey bee pests, parasites, pathogens and predators

    • Over the past several years, I have been working on optimizing the use of formic acid for control of V. jacobsoni. Recently, I have developed a delivery method that results in 95% efficacy as a fall treatment in the northeast.
    • I am also working on the development of new solid polymer delivery systems for essential oils with acaricidal activity.
    • I have also examined various methods for estimating mite levels in honey bee colonies as part of the sampling protocol necessary to implement treatment decisions.
  • My research includes both basic and applied elements. My basic research explores the organization of the honey bee colony and seeks to identify the mechanisms by which relatively simple individuals are able to conduct rather complex social actions. My applied research focuses on the development of an Integrated Pest Management Program for honey bee pests, parasites, pathogens and predators. Often times, my basic and applied research overlap, as results from basic research often lead to a solution to a practical problem.

primary investigator of

research areas

affiliations

faculty appointment in

member of graduate field

teaching

teaching focus

My teaching effort includes a course in the biology of the honey bee. This class presents students with the basic biology of the honey bee, and tackles many key question in biology for which the honey bee is an ideal model system for investigation. I emphasize the social nature of the colony, and I use the honey bee social structure to suggest ways to analyze behavior in other animals, including humans. I also teach a course in practical beekeeping that provides students with hands-on experience with many of the major elements of a commercial beekeeping operation.

service

outreach focus

  • The centerpiece of my extension activities is the CU Master Beekeeper Program. This program provides individuals with the training required to become fully competent hobbyist or commercial beekeepers. I also write extension articles for national trade journals and I provide support for grower groups and for other university, state and federal agencies with responsibilities related to beekeeping. Currently, I am in the process of porting my Master Beekeeping Program to the web.
  • I serve NYS beekeepers, fruit and vegetable growers, federal, state, local and university staff and the general public. I conduct Master Beekeeper Workshops at Dyce Lab and visit local beekeeping groups to make presentations. Master Beekeeper Workshops are in-depth orientations to basic beekeeping and IPM for honey bee pests. Regional conferences provide opportunities for beekeepers to meet for a day-long conference where they meet with several speakers making presentations on various aspects of beekeeping. Articles in national trade journals provide beekeepers with timely information on pest management and other issues important to the industry. I work with or have worked with Ag and Markets (Apiary Industry Advisory Committee, Africanized Honey Bee Response Plan) and DEC (Bears and Bees), and plan to work with CU EHS as a speaker at their annual pesticide recertification workshop. I answer dozens of questions from members of the general public contacting me by phone or email. Impact is documented through the use of pre- and post-tests completed by participants at all extension events.

    My extension efforts are expanding to include more web-based deliverables, including a biannual newsletter, a selection of pertinent ‘Fact Sheets’, slide presentations, and information of general interest to beekeepers and the general public. I plan to accelerate the process of porting my extension presentations, including my Master Beekeeper Workshops, to the web. A portion of this material will be freely accessible, while the remainder will be made available on a subscription basis, reflecting the growing need for an economic partnership between industry and extension. The online Master Beekeeper Apprentice Level workshops will also become part of my course materials for ENTOM 260/264.

event host

background

educational background

Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1988

M.S., Ohio State University, 1985

B.A./B.S., Ohio State University, 1977

professional background

Associate Professor, Cornell University: Entomology, (2002-present)

Assistant Professor, Cornell University: Entomology, (1996-2002)

publications

selected publications (listing in progress)

Drijfhout F.P., Kochansky J., Lin S., and Calderone N.W. (2005) Components of honeybee royal jelly as deterrents of the parasitic Varroa mite, Varroa destructor. J. Chem. Ecol. 31:1747-64.

Calderone, N.W. (2005) Evaluation of Drone Brood Removal for the Management of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in Colonies of the Honey Bee Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in the Northeastern USA. J. Econ. Entomol. 98: 645-650.

Calderone N.W. and Kuenen, L.P.S. (2003) Differential tending behavior by nurse bees towards worker and drone larvae of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, during the 60 hours prior to capping. Apidologie 34: 543-552.

Calderone N. W. and Lin S. (2003) Rapid determination of the numbers of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae), a parasitic mite of the honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), on sticky-board collection devices. Apidologie 34: 11-17.

Rotjan, R., Calderone, N. W. and Seeley, T. D. (2002) How a honey bee colony mustered additional labor for the task of pollen foraging. Apidologie 33: 367-373.

speaker at Cornell event

Keywords: animal behavior, apiculture, apis mellifera, behavioral ecology, complex behavior, honeybee, honey bee, honey bee biology, host-parasite, master beekeeper, parasites, social behavior, sociobiology, varroa destructor