Master’s student Jennifer Standley conducts research within the University of Florida (UF) Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab (HBREL). Scientists at the HBREL research many honey bee related issues (nutrition, pests, pathogens, ect.). Standley specifically studies the diet of in vitro reared honey bees. Each scientist within the facility shares the same common goal to improve the health of the pollinator as research has become essential in the pursuit of honey bee health.
[Pictured left] Standley speaking live on "Wildlife Wednesdays" about her studies within the HBREL.
“Because they [honey bees] have all those little hairs, they attract the pollen and hop from flower to flower. That pollination is going to make some sort of seed, fruit, or nut. So, it’s important not only for us for our agriculture and our food, but it can also be very important for our environment.” - Standley
Standley graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in biology from the University of South Florida in 2011. From there, she pursued veterinary medicine as a veterinary technician and eventually became an urban beekeeper. She even volunteered with sea turtle rehabilitation at a working marine hospital.
“I’ve always been a nature lover and environmentalist; I once considered being a wildlife biologist and still wouldn’t mind it” said Standley.
Though she carried a deep passion for all wildlife and nature conservation, the honey bee caught her eye. A swarm of honey bees at a friend’s home entryway catalyzed her enamorment into the world of entomology.
[Pictured right] Standley and UF undergraduate student Brett Labella grafting larvae for in vitro studies.
Upon entering the UF Entomology and Nematology Department in 2020, she educates students ranging from kindergarten to college age on the importance of all pollinators. Honey bees are one of Florida’s most popular pollinators for agriculture, though they are not considered native, they are still very important. Believe it or not, there are actually over 320 species of native bees in Florida, and over 4,000 in the United States.
A threat to honey bees is a threat to Florida’s agriculture. Within the last decade, honey bees have grown far more susceptible to harmful, external constituents such as the Varroa Destructor Mite, climate change, and pesticides.
In order to combat the problems associated with the honey bee, Standley researches methods by which to maximize the health of the bee and the integrity of the colony. With a process called in vitro rearing, meaning “outside of its natural environment”, Standley raises larvae in an incubator throughout the stages of their young adult life.
The primary diet of the honey bee larvae called royal jelly is used in the in vitro rearing process. Royal jelly is an amazing complexity of proteins, sugars, fats, vitamins, and minerals that is produced in the hypopharyngeal glands of the insects head. Through this method of research and other scientists research, they are working day-in and day-out to discover methods in which to raise healthier bees, thereby preserving Florida’s pollinator and food systems.