David Tarpy
University Scholar Professor
Extension Apiculturist
1558A Thomas Hall
Bio
Education
BS, Biology, Hobart College (1993)
MS, Biology, Bucknell University (1995)
Ph.D, Entomology, University of California, Davis (2000)
Research Interests
Our lab studies the behavioral ecology of insect societies, with a primary focus on the proximate and ultimate mechanisms of honey bee queen behavior. In doing so, we attempt to address questions of basic science that have practical relevance. Our approach is to integrate a general understanding of bee biology to help improve overall colony health and productivity; in an era when the honey bee population is being severely impacted by any number of factors, we feel that it is necessary to become more proactive in asking questions that address not just basic (long-term) or applied (short-term) questions, but both.
We currently have five main research paradigms in the lab:
- Polyandry and resultant intracolony genetic diversity that multiple mating confers, particularly in the behavioral mechanisms that govern polyandry and the adaptive benefits to the colony
- Molecular and pollinator ecology, studying how honey bees fit into the greater community of pollinators and urban and agroecosystems
- Oxidative stress and social immunity, exploring the physiological and behavioral mechanisms and consequences of disease and stress
- Integrated pest management of parasites and pathogens, and
- The reproductive quality of queens and the genomic, pheromonal, social, and practical consequences of variation in queen reproductive potential.
Our extension program is targeted at disseminating information about honey bees and bee management to the public and beekeeping groups, working with local, state, and national beekeeping associations, and administering novel extension initiatives such as the online Beekeeper Education & Engagement System (BEES) and the NC State Queen & Disease Clinic.
See the publications list from the whole lab.
Publications
- Collective decision-making during reproduction in social insects: a conceptual model for queen supersedure in honey bees (Apis mellifera) , CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE (2024)
- Common viral infections inhibit egg laying in honey bee queens and are linked to premature supersedure , SCIENTIFIC REPORTS (2024)
- Effects of study design parameters on estimates of bee abundance and richness in agroecosystems: a meta-analysis , ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA (2024)
- Investigating trade-offs between ovary activation and immune protein expression in bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) workers and queens , PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (2024)
- Metagenomic analysis of the honey bee queen microbiome reveals low bacterial diversity and Caudoviricetes phages , MSYSTEMS (2024)
- Physiological trade-offs in male social insects: Interactions among infection, immunity, fertility, size, and age in honey bee drones , JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY (2024)
- Group size influences maternal provisioning and compensatory larval growth in honeybees , ISCIENCE (2023)
- Meta-analysis of genetic diversity and intercolony relatedness among reproductives in commercial honey bee populations , FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE (2023)
- Drone honey bees are disproportionately sensitive to abiotic stressors despite expressing high levels of stress response proteins , COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY (2022)
- Effects of planted pollinator habitat on pathogen prevalence and interspecific detection between bee species , SCIENTIFIC REPORTS (2022)