Dr. Marla Spivak

Professor, Apiculture and Social Insects
Distinguished McKnight Professor

Department of Entomology
University of Minnesota
219 Hodson Hall
1980 Folwell Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55108

E-mail:

Marla’s interest in bees began when she worked for a commercial beekeeper from New Mexico in 1975. She later completed her B.A. in Biology from Humboldt State University in northern California, and her PhD from the University of Kansas, under Dr. Orley “Chip” Taylor, in 1989. She spent two years in Costa Rica conducting her thesis research on the identification and ecology of Africanized and European honey bees. From 1989-1992 she did post-doctoral research at the Center for Insect Science at the University of Arizona. She began as Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota in 1993. Influenced by Martha Gilliam and Steve Taber from the USDA Bee lab in Tucson, she became interested in hygienic behavior of honey bees. This interest has expanded into studies of “social immunity”, including the benefits of propolis to the immune system of honey bees.

Gary Reuter

Scientist, a.k.a. Gary-of-all-Trades
University of Minnesota

Department of Entomology
219 Hodson Hall
1980 Folwell Ave,
St. Paul, MN 55108

E-mail:

A lifetime hobby beekeeper and trained as an Industrial Science teacher, Gary began working with Marla when she moved to Minnesota in 1993. Without his hard work, the program would not be what it is today. He maintains the research colonies, helps train and work with students in the field, designs and builds specialty equipment, and is the first to argue (constructively) with Marla when she wants to brainstorm research ideas and options. He is the star of the beekeeping short courses and Extension programming; beekeepers thrive on listening to his jokes. He is the past President of the MN Hobby Beekeeping Association, the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association, he is on the Research Committee of the American Beekeeping Federation, and still finds time to mange his own colonies, talk to school kids about bees, and help his wife raise sheep.

Current Graduate Students and Post-docs:

Mike Simone, PhD Candidate

Mike Simone and his 10,00 Bees!

Mike's research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of resin foraging and its use as propolis by honey bees. Various studies have determined that propolis is active against pathogens and parasites of honey bees and that resin in the nest may reduce stress on the immune system of individual honey. He is also currently investigating the cues involved in initiating resin foraging using lab-based and field experiments. Mike completed a BS in Marine Biology and BA in English at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, before starting his PhD program with the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of MN.

Katie Lee, M.S. Student
Jessica Burtness, PhD Student
Mike Goblirsch, PhD student
Sainath Suryanarayanan, Post-doc

Current Undergraduates and Summer help:

Betsy Ranum

Previous Graduate Students and Post-docs:

Katie Lee, Masters 2009
Jodie Swanson, Masters, 2008
Ian Burns, PhD, 2005
Abdullah Ibrahim, PhD, 2005
Katarzyna Goode, Masters, 2005
Rebecca Masterman, PhD, 2000
Elaine Evans, Masters, 2001
Dr. Katia Gramacho, Post-doc, 2001
Dr. Arathi Seshadri, Post-doc, 1998-2000