Categories
Behaviour Research

The importance of bees: more than honey

Ever wondered why you should care about bees?

Here’s a fact: bees are responsible for the successful production of around a third of the food you eat.

As one of our oldest domesticated animals, bees and people share an amazing history.

But the future is uncertain, with devastating global declines in both feral and managed populations.

Boris Baer and Barbara Baer-Imhoof, in conjunction with their colleagues at the Centre for Integrative Bee Research at the University of Western Australia, are researching many aspects of honey bees, in the field and in the lab.

In our first episode featuring an invertebrate species, we learn more about our relationship with bees, what would happen if they vanish and ways we can help them thrive.

Podcast

Video – More Than Honey Trailer

Bees! More than Honey trailer

Publications

Boris Baer & Barbara Baer-Imhoof – The importance of bees. Photo: Andrew Ritchie

Stuerup, M., Baer-Imhoof, B., Nash, D. R., Boomsma, J. J. & Baer, B. When every sperm counts: factors affecting male fertility in the honeybee Apis mellifera, . Behav. Ecol. 24(5): 1192-1198. View online at Behavioral Ecology.

Baer, B. (2009) CIBER: A new research initiative for the study of honeybees in Western Australia. The Australian Beekeeper. 111:16-17. 

Imhoof B., Schmid-Hempel, P. 1999. Colony success of the bumble bee, Bombus terrestris, in relation to infections by two protozoan parasites, Crithidia bombi and Nosema bombi. Insectes Sociaux 46: 233-238.

Links

Centre for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER)

CIBER on Facebook


Header image: Flickr/StephenBegin

Categories
Therapy

Do children on the autistic spectrum benefit from assistance dogs?

How do parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) perceive the value of assistance dogs?

It’s a new area of research for Louise Burgoyne at the University College Cork in Ireland.

Louise holds a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health, a Masters in Marketing and a Bachelor of Art in Applied Psychology.

She also has a gorgeous German Shepherd, named Kyla, who she participates with in search and rescue, as an Irish Search Dog member.

In this episode, we hear from Louise about her research investigating the effects of assistance dogs to children with autism spectrum disorder and their families.

Podcast

Publications

Autism assistance dogs - Louise Burgoyne
Louise Burgoyne

Burgoyne, L., Dowling, L., Fitzgerald, A., Connolly, M., Browne, J. P., & Perry, I. J. (2014). Parents’ perspectives on the value of assistance dogs for children with autism spectrum disorder: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open, 4(6): e004786. [Open Access]

Berry, A., Borgi, M., Francia, N., Alleva, E., & Cirulli, F. (2013). Use of assistance and therapy dogs for children with autism spectrum disorders: A critical review of the current evidenceThe Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine19(2), 73-80.

O’Haire, M. E. (2013). Animal-assisted intervention for autism spectrum disorder: A systematic literature review. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 43(7), 1606-1622.

Davis, B. W., Nattrass, K., O’Brien, S., Patronek, G., & MacCollin, M. (2004). Assistance dog placement in the pediatric population: Benefits, risks, and recommendations for future applicationAnthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals17(2), 130-145.

Links

Louise Burgoyne: University College Cork Profile

Louise’s other publications on Research Gate

Video – What is autism (a quick refresher)

What is autism?

Header image via Flickr/Paolo Manalac