“....Dr. Samuel Ramsey is changing the world of science with his brilliant research on what’s killing honeybees and trademark wit when it comes to communicating complex subjects to non-scientists.”
- Audobon Naturalist Society
Publications
Ramsey, S., Gulbronson, C.J., Mowery, J., Ochoa, R. and Bauchan, G., 2018. A multi-microscopy approach to discover the feeding site and host tissue consumed by Varroa destructor on host honey bees. Microscopy and Microanalysis, 24(S1), pp.1258-1259.
Ramsey S, vanEngelsdorp D. (2016) “Varroa destructor: Beekeeping Public Enemy Number One.” Journal of Beekeeping/Aricilik Dergisi 16(1): 1-4
Ramsey, S.D., Ochoa, R., Bauchan, G., Gulbronson, C., Mowery, J.D., Cohen, A., Lim, D., Joklik, J., Cicero, J.M., Ellis, J.D. and Hawthorne, D., 2019. Varroa destructor feeds primarily on honey bee fat body tissue and not hemolymph. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(5), pp.1792-1801.
Ramsey, S. and Losey, J.E., 2012. Why is Harmonia axyridis the culprit in coccinellid biting incidents? An analysis of means, motive, and opportunity. American Entomologist, 58(3), pp.166-170.
Chantawannakul, P., Ramsey, S., Khongphinitbunjong, K. and Phokasem, P., 2018. Tropilaelaps mite: an emerging threat to European honey bee. Current opinion in insect science, 26, pp.69-75.
Losey, J., Perlman, J., Kopco, J., Ramsey, S., Hesler, L., Evans, E., Allee, L. and Smyth, R., 2012. Potential causes and consequences of decreased body size in field populations of Coccinella novemnotata. Biological Control, 61(1), pp.98-103.
Neumann P, Williams G, Chantawannakul P, Ramsey S. (2017) “Chapter 9: Conclusions and Future Perspectives.” Asian Beekeeping in the 21st Century pp. 154-159
Khaliunaa Tsevegmid, Selenge Dooshin, Ramsey S. (2017) “Chapter 6: Beekeeping in Mongolia.” Asian Beekeeping in the 21st Century pp. 94-109
Current Initiatives
Currently raising funds to support an international research initiative to protect honey bees from the non-native Tropilaelaps mite. This pest is currently spreading outside of its native range threatening bees the world over. It's imperative that we head off this threat with knowledge!
Arthropod symbiosis: elucidating how dispensable interactions between arthropods and those with other organisms develop, stabilize, and adapt along the transition to symbiosis.
Pollinator Health: assessing the multiple interacting factors leading to the globally observed decline in pollinator health and testing methods to mitigate this decline.
Parasite Behavior: the novel methods employed by parasitic/parasitoid organisms to live in or on hosts and exploit them for resources. Better understanding of these methods could lead to new means of managing parasites that cause economic or medical injury.
Melittophiles and Other non-Apis Hive Associates: deepening our understanding of how hive associates remain in honey bee colonies despite evolutionarily refined instincts of the host to exclude these organisms. Methods such as providing a significant service to the bees, avoiding detection through complex camouflage, or taking advantage of only the weak and unguarded are sparsely studied strategies but may be integral to disrupting negative relations or promoting those that lead to greater colony health.
Honey Bee Resistance/Resilience: deepening knowledge of how the other 11 species of honey bees residing in Southeast Asia, aside from the cosmopolitan Apis mellifera, thrive in the face of the same stress factors and how we can translate those traits to our population of honey bees.