Agricultural and Life Sciences (IFAS)
Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory (HBREL)
Led by Cameron Jack · Entomology and Nematology
What we study
The Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory studies honey bee health, focusing on toxicology (how pesticides affect bees) and epidemiology (how diseases spread), to give beekeepers practical solutions.
What working here is like
- Fieldwork
- Other insects
- Coding helps
- Project
- 1
- Papers
- 5
What we're looking for
“Undergraduate students can participate in or independently conduct a research project related to honey bees. Interested students should contact Dr. Cameron Jack for more information.”
Current projects
Hangry Bees: How Colony Nutrition Effects Defensive Behavior
The lab compared how defensive the colonies of four honey‑bee stocks (New World Carniolans, USDA Pol‑Line, Russian, and a mixed local breed) are and measured their overall strength, using a new method to score defensive responses. The results will help beekeepers choose less aggressive, hygienic bees.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 476
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Sublethal Effects and Associated Risks of Acaricides Used Against Varroa destructor in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Colonies
2026 · Insects
Explains how acaricides harm bees and mites differently.
- Temporal and spatial distributions of pathogens in managed Florida honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies
2026 · Journal of Invertebrate Pathology
Tracks bee diseases in Florida by testing honey bee samples for pathogens.
Show 3 more papersShow fewer
- A laboratory amitraz resistance assay for Varroa destructor may not be a reliable predictor of field-level amitraz efficacy
2026 · Frontiers in Bee Science
Tests whether a lab test for mite resistance to amitraz predicts real-world effectiveness.
- Seasonal honey bee ( Apis mellifera ) physiology differentially impacts toxicity to pesticides used to control honey bee pests
2026 · Journal of Economic Entomology
Shows how bee season affects pesticide toxicity to honey bees.
- The risk posed by exposure to pesticides through beeswax to adult western honey bees ( Apis mellifera )
2026 · Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Tests how pesticides in beeswax harm honey bees over time.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Cameron Jack hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.