The Varroa destructor mite kills ⅓ of the world’s most productive species of honey bees [Apis mellifera] every year, leading to its designation as one of the top-three most economically damaging invasive species in the world. Dr. Ramsey discovered that the Varroa mite uses a never-before-described feeding mechanism, coined “kleptocytosis” wherein the mites directly siphon egg yolk proteins from the honey bee’s liver to deposit as yolk directly in their own eggs. Disruption of this pathway would effectively sterilize this devastating, invasive parasite.

A novel honey bee parasite, the Tropilaelaps mite (Tropi mite), is quickly spreading around the world, and is potentially more destructive than the Varroa mite. The invasion of Tropi mites into Pakistan led to the extinction of the world’s most productive species of honey bee [Apis mellifera] within their borders. It has recently been found in Kazakhstan, a major gateway to Europe and the rest of the world, which has caused global concern about this parasite. Dr. Ramsey is recognized as a leading expert on Tropi mites globally. Under his leadership, RRF has conducted research showing for the first time how this parasite can be controlled leading to the very first pesticide to be registered for usage against it.

RRF was awarded funding from National Geographic and the USDA to research all honey bee parasites and diseases distributed throughout Asia. Honey bees are host to a range of deadly parasites and diseases. Most of these pathogens exists in Southeast Asia because it has the highest biodiversity of bees. As a result, Pollinator Pandemics tend to start in Asia and spread around the world. To ensure that we are ready with well-informed emergency response plans, data from this work be provided open access to the general public and researchers worldwide to aid in their pandemic responses.

There are 22 species of hornets, the most aggressive predators of honey bees globally. RRF was awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to determine how the largest and most aggressive species arrived in the U.S. from Asia and what can be done to protect honey bees from the threat they pose. To date, there has been little research conducted on most of these species since they are found in rural areas across Asia. Research is set to begin in the Fall of 2023.

Five of the nine honey bee species exist within Thailand alone, but one species is extremely rare as a result of forest fires that are intensifying each year. As stewards of the forest, the Karin Hill Tribe patrol the forest and use rainwater collected in reservoirs to extinguish these fires. However, the rainy season has shrunk in duration leaving them with less water to fight the blazes. RRF has invested in building more reservoirs so that the indigenous Karin people can collect more rainwater during the shorter season. This provides them a sustainable means to extinguish these fires protecting both their homes and those of bees they rely on for their livelihood.

The Palawano people of the Philippines live in a highly biodiverse forest. Natural disasters and human activity have begun to shrink the area in which honey bees and hornets can live, forcing them into consistent contact with humans. Their colonies can be removed gently but this requires specialized equipment which is prohibitively expensive. Without this equipment, colonies often have to be destroyed to ensure that people aren’t harmed. RRF has invested in providing climbing equipment and bee suits to protect the people and ensure that the bees can be safely moved as well.