Funded PhD Studentship: Annual DVC Award- Integrated Varroa Management in Honeybee Colonies

Agriculture & Environment

Project Title:  Integrated Varroa Management in Honeybee Colonies

Primary supervisor: Dr Ben Clunie

Co supervisors: Professor Tom Pope & Dr Joe Roberts

Expected Start date and location

October 2026 onwards, based at Harper Adams University, Edgmond, Shropshire, UK.

Funding

The studentship covers the current Home Student (UK, Isle of Man & Channel Isles) tuition fees plus a yearly stipend. For 2026/7 this equates to £21,805 per year, with potential increases each academic year.

International applicants would need to be able to fund the difference between home and overseas fees with a proportion being paid in full before Visa documentation can be issued.

Applicants

PhD applicants must hold a minimum of an upper second class (2:1) honours degree, or equivalent in a relevant discipline or a 2.2 alongside a relevant Master's degree with Merit, or potential for research based on alternative qualifications/experience judged acceptable by the university.

Required degree level: Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree or equivalent in entomology, zoology, ecology, biology, animal science, agricultural science, molecular biology, or a related discipline.

Additional skills required: Experience or interest in entomology, pollinator health, animal behaviour, ecology, pest management, molecular biology, or applied biological sciences. Prior experience, or willingness, to work with honeybee colonies in field and laboratory settings. Ability to collect and analyse quantitative data. Desirable skills include experience with insect handling, microbiology, RT-qPCR, chemical ecology, GC-MS, or statistical analysis

Alternate entry pathway explanation: Applicants with a relevant master’s degree and/or substantial research or industry experience in apiculture, entomology, ecology or pest management are also encouraged to apply.

Project 

Honeybees, Apis mellifera, are essential agricultural pollinators, but colony health remains under severe pressure from the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, a major driver of colony losses through direct parasitism and transmission of deformed wing virus (DWV). Existing control options rely heavily on a limited range of acaricides, and their long-term effectiveness is increasingly threatened by resistance. This PhD will develop integrated approaches to Varroa management by combining chemical ecology-led monitoring, biological control and established biotechnical methods to improve colony health and pollination-relevant outcomes.

The project will investigate whether hive volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles shift with Varroa infestation intensity and whether these changes can be used as a semi-automated early monitoring system. It will also test whether biotechnical interventions timed to colony phenology, combined with semiochemical-baited delivery of entomopathogenic fungi

(EPF), can improve control efficacy. A further objective is to determine how EPF infection affects DWV transmission dynamics and honeybee behavioural defences such as grooming and colony hygiene, and whether integrated approaches deliver measurable colony-level benefits beyond simple mite reduction.

Methodologically, the PhD will combine smart-hive monitoring, hive headspace VOC sampling, GC-MS analysis, laboratory bioassays, behavioural assays, molecular analysis of viral load, and replicated field trials. In Year 1, the student will establish standardised colony health monitoring across the Harper Adams apiary and profile VOCs from colonies spanning a range of Varroa infestation levels. Candidate chemical biomarkers and smart-hive indicators will be analysed using multivariate approaches to assess their diagnostic value.

In Years 1 and 2, laboratory studies will screen candidate EPF isolates for acaricidal activity, thermotolerance and honeybee safety. The student will examine whether fungal infection alters mite feeding and DWV vectoring capacity and whether direct EPF exposure triggers enhanced honeybee defensive behaviours. Semiochemical-baited delivery systems will also be developed to test whether Varroa-attractant compounds can improve mite contact with biological control agents under hive conditions.

In Years 2 and 3, replicated field trials will compare integrated interventions against conventional calendar-based acaricide treatment, evaluating mite dynamics, DWV prevalence, brood recovery, foraging activity, colony growth, honey yield and overwintering survival. The project is expected to generate publishable outputs in chemical ecology, invertebrate pathology and pest management, while also delivering practical and policy-relevant evidence for sustainable Varroa management and integrated pollinator management.

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