My program focuses on understanding the relationship between pollinators and their environment, with an emphasis on the effects of pesticides and understanding the physiological basis of pesticide toxicity.
Research Area:
Insect pollinators are vital for the production of many fruits, nuts and vegetables, including apples, blueberries, almonds, tomatoes and pumpkins. These crops are also vulnerable to pests and diseases, which are often controlled through the use of pesticides. However, pesticides may be toxic to insect pollinators, setting up a conflict between the need for pollination and the need for pest and disease control. In our lab we are seeking to understand how to protect pollinators from the pesticides and other toxins they encounter. The managed European honey bee, Apis mellifera, serves as a model pollinator for toxicological testing. While the honey bee is the most economically important pollinator in the U.S. and serves as an excellent model species, we are also interested in understanding pesticide toxicity in other pollinating insects as well.
Current research projects include:
1. Using sequencing to determine the floral origin of bee-collected pollen
2. Determining the impact of corn seed treatment insecticides on honey bee colonies in Ohio
3. Comparative toxicogenomics between pollinating bee species: honey bees (Apis mellifera), bumble bees (Bombus impatiens), alfalfa leafcutter bees (Megachile rotundata) and squash bees (Peponapis pruinosa)
4. Assessment of honey bee immature survival using a photographic method and analysis by volunteers at http://broodmapper.com
5. Comparing the success of managed honey bee colonies in urban and rural environments in Ohio
Teaching
Beekeeping (ENTMLGY 2200) Spring Semesters
Pesticide Science (ENTMLGY 5800) Fall and Spring Semesters (co-taught with Ashley Leach)
Graduate Students
Luke Hearon, Entomology, Ph.D. Student 2024-present
Dahee Ahn, Entomology, M.S. Student 2024-present
Lily Johnson, Entomology M.S. Student 2023-present
Adam Foster, Entomology Ph.D. Student 2022-present
Brandon Shannon, Environmental Sciences Graduate Program, M.S. 2023; Ph.D. 2025
Karlan Forrester, Entomology M.S. 2022
Dylan Ricke, Entomology M.S. 2022
Emily Walker, Environmental Sciences Graduate Program M.S. 2021
Harper McMinn-Sauder, Entomology Ph.D. 2022
Stephanie Murray, Entomology M.S. 2019
Rodney Richardson, Entomology Ph.D. 2018
Natalia Riusech, Environmental Sciences Graduate Program M.S. 2017
Douglas Sponsler, Entomology Ph.D. 2016
Recent Journal Articles, past three years
Forrester KC, Lin C-H, Johnson RM. 2024. Measuring factors affecting honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) attraction to soybeans using bioacoustics monitoring. J. Insect Sci. 24(2):20. https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieae036
Glinski DA, Purucker ST, Minucci JM, Richardson RT, Lin CH, Johnson RM, Henderson WM. 2024. Analysis of contaminant residues in honey bee hive matrices. Sci. Total Environ. 954(176329):176329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176329
McMinn-Sauder HBG, Colin T, Gaines Day HR, Quinlan G, Smart A, Miekle WG, Johnson RM, Sponsler DB. 2024. Next-generation colony weight monitoring: a review and prospectus. Apidologie, 55 (1), 13. doi: 10.1007/s13592-023-01050-8
Shannon BS, Johnson RM. 2023. Review: The risks of spray adjuvants to honey bees. Journal of Insect Science. 23 (6), 20. doi: 10.1093/jisesa/iead100
Wu W-Y, Liao L-S, Lin C-H, Johnson RM, Berenbaum MB Accepted. Effects of pesticide-adjuvant combinations used in almond orchards on olfactory responses to social signals in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Scientific Reports.
Shannon B, Walker E, Johnson, R. 2023. Toxicity of spray adjuvants and tank mix combinations used in almond orchards to adult honey bees (Apis mellifera). Journal of Economic Entomology. doi:10.1093/jee/toad161
McMinn-Sauder H, Lin C-H, Eaton T, Johnson R. 2023. The major role of spring trees in Ohio honey production for bees located in high and low agricultural intensity. Apidologie, 54 (4), 37. doi:10.1007/s13592-023-01016-w
Ranjit S, Deblais L, Rotondo F, Shannon B, Johnson R, Miller SA, Rajashekara G. 2023. Discovery of novel small molecule growth inhibitors to manage Pseudomonas Leaf Spot Disease on peppers (Capsicum sp.). Plant Disease. 107 (11), 3560-2574. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-12-22-2976-RE
Murray SK, Kurkul CM, Mularo AJ, Hale VL, Adams RMM, Johnson RM. 2023. Antibacterial effects of propolis and brood comb extracts on the causative agent of European Foulbrood (Melissococcus plutonius) in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Journal of Apicultural Research, doi:10.1080/00218839.2023.2210342
Forrester KC, Lin CH, Johnson RM. 2022. Measuring factors affecting honey bee attraction to soybeans using bioacoustics monitoring. bioRxiv. 11.04.512777. doi:10.1101/2022.11.04.512777. Submitted to Journal of Apicultural Research.
Lin C-H, Suresh S, Matcham E, Monagan P, Curtis H, Richardson T, Johnson R. 2022. Soybean is a common nectar source for honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in a Midwestern agricultural landscape. Journal of Economic Entomology https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toac140
McMinn-Sauder H, Lin CH, Eaton T, Johnson R. 2022. A comparison of springtime pollen and nectar foraging in honey bees kept in urban and agricultural environments. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. doi:10.3389/fsufs.2022.825137
Quinlan GMD, Sponsler DS, Gaines-Day HR, McMinn-Sauder HBG, Otto CRV, Smart AH, Colin T, Gratton C, Isaacs R, Johnson R, Milbrath MO, Grozinger CM. 2022. Grassy–herbaceous land moderates regional climate effects on honey bee colonies in the Northcentral US. Environmental Research Letters. 17: 064036. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac7063
Walker EK, Brock GN, Arvidson RS, Johnson RM. 2022. Acute toxicity of fungicide-insecticide-adjuvant combinations applied to almonds during bloom on adult honey bees. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 41(4): 1042-1053. doi:10.1002/etc.5297
