Honeybees and their pollination services are important for the production of about a third of what we eat. However, massive losses of bees have been reported globally over the last decade. In some regions where bees have now been entirely lost, trees now need to be pollinated by hand.

I will provide an overview of research that is currently conducted at the Centre for Integrative Bee Research in collaboration with local bee keepers to understand the reproduction and immunity of honeybees. I will provide some examples of how research might help to address the current and future bee problems.