Development of invertebrate behavior bio-indicator assays forcontaminants in honey.

This

project aims to investigate the possibility of using insects that feed on honey in nature to develop a simple, lowtech

test for testing honey contamination levels. We propose to test the behavior and development of larvae of

the Greater Wax Moth and the Small Hive Beetle on honey with a range of contamination levels. If we can find a

significant behavioural difference between insects on contaminated and non-contaminated honey this could be

used as an alternative to high-cost testing methods currently in use. We believe that this could have great

potential for small-scale honey producers and in the developing world as a method of reducing the costs of

honey production.

Faculty Supervisor:

Emma Despland

Student:

Partner:

Honeybee Research Inc

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

University:

Concordia University

Program:

Accelerate

Current openings

Find the perfect opportunity to put your academic skills and knowledge into practice!

Government

Mitacs Partners