Alison McAfee
Postdoctoral fellow, North Carolina State University
I study honey bee sex and am passionate about science communication. My research has been covered by outlets like New Scientist, Scientific American, and National Geographic. I have published Op Eds in Scientific American and write a monthly column for the magazine American Bee Journal.
Media
How genomics is saving our honey bees
Video version of The Code of Life podcast episode 1: Humans aren't the only ones fighting a pandemic right now. Honey bees are also at risk, under attack by a parasite that is killing millions of colonies around the world. Much like people, honey bees are employing techniques like hygiene and social distancing to survive. But parasites are just one of several threats to the world's honey bees. And scientists are using genomics to search for tools to save them.
Mammary gland mysteries, solved
Illustrated commentary on Dr. Mina Bissell's research on mammary gland architecture, which recently won her a Gairdner Award. Aimed at high school students
Research finds new possible cause of bee colony collapse
Social distancing is also found among bees
Brut natureTelevision
The problem with honey bees
Scientific AmericanOnline
URL: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-problem-with-honey-bees/
Honey bees are struggling with their own pandemic
Scientific American, May 1, 2020Online
URL: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/honey-bees-are-struggling-with-their-own-pandemic/
Learning what stresses queen bees could save their hives
Science News for StudentsOnline
WHY BEES AREN’T HAVING SEX IN THE HEAT
These wild animals also practice social distancing to avoid getting sick
THESE ANIMALS ALREADY SELF-ISOLATE TO STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THEM?
Scent of Death: Honeybees Use Odors to Detect Deceased Broods
Biography
Dr. Alison McAfee is a postdoctoral fellow who studies honey bee reproduction. Honey bee queens mate several times early in life, then maintain the sperm for years in a specialized storage organ, the spermatheca, until they die. Colony health depends on the queen’s ability to keep these sperm alive so that she can lay an abundance of fertilized eggs and keep the colony strong. However, stressful conditions like extreme temperatures and pesticide exposure can kill the sperm McAfee stores. With extreme weather patterns on the rise and persistent pesticide residues in the environment, these stressors are becoming major threats to honey bee colony health. Alison’s research helps us better understand sperm biology and contributes to best-practice recommendations to limit adverse exposure of the queens. Alison completed her Ph.D. in Genome Science and Technology at the University of British Columbia, where she studied how honey bee colonies fight off disease.