Cold case : the disappearance of Egypt bee virus, a fourth distinct master strain of deformed wing virus linked to honeybee mortality in 1970’s Egypt (2022)
Journal Article
de Miranda, J., Brettell, L., Chejanovsky, N., Childers, A., Dalmon, A., Deboutte, W., …Ball, B. (2022). Cold case : the disappearance of Egypt bee virus, a fourth distinct master strain of deformed wing virus linked to honeybee mortality in 1970’s Egypt. Virology Journal, 19(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-022-01740-2

In 1977, a sample of diseased adult honeybees (Apis mellifera) from Egypt was found to contain large amounts of a previously unknown virus, Egypt bee virus, which was subsequently shown to be serologically related to deformed wing virus (DWV). By seq... Read More about Cold case : the disappearance of Egypt bee virus, a fourth distinct master strain of deformed wing virus linked to honeybee mortality in 1970’s Egypt.

Vulnerability of island insect pollinator communities to pathogens (2021)
Journal Article
Brettell, L., Martin, S., Riegler, M., & Cook, J. (2021). Vulnerability of island insect pollinator communities to pathogens. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 186, 107670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2021.107670

Island ecosystems, which often contain undescribed insects and small populations of single island endemics, are at risk from diverse threats. The spread of pathogens is a major factor affecting not just pollinator species themselves, but also posing... Read More about Vulnerability of island insect pollinator communities to pathogens.

Parallel evolution of Varroa resistance in honey bees; a common mechanism across continents? (2021)
Journal Article
Grindrod, I., & Martin, S. (2021). Parallel evolution of Varroa resistance in honey bees; a common mechanism across continents?. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1956), 20211375. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.1375

The near-globally distributed ecto-parasitic mite of the Apis mellifera honey bee, Varroa destructor, has formed a lethal association with Deformed wing virus, a once rare and benign RNA virus. In concert the two have killed millions of wild and mana... Read More about Parallel evolution of Varroa resistance in honey bees; a common mechanism across continents?.

Spatial distribution of recapping behaviour indicates clustering around Varroa infested cells (2021)
Journal Article
Grindrod, I., & Martin, S. (2021). Spatial distribution of recapping behaviour indicates clustering around Varroa infested cells. Journal of Apicultural Research, 60(5), 707-716. https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2021.1890419

Varroa destructor is arguably the most important threat to Apis mellifera honey bees. Despite the recentness of the invasion of Varroa, A. mellifera colonies naturally resistant to the mite are being observed in a growing number of populations across... Read More about Spatial distribution of recapping behaviour indicates clustering around Varroa infested cells.

Investigating naturally evolved Varroa destructor resistance in Apis mellifera honey bees : host behavioural traits and parasite reproductive biology (2020)
Thesis
biology. (Dissertation). University of Salford

The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor remains a major threat to Apis mellifera honey bees amidst ongoing colony losses throughout the Northern Hemisphere. While the vast majority of colonies still require artificial treatments to control their mit... Read More about Investigating naturally evolved Varroa destructor resistance in Apis mellifera honey bees : host behavioural traits and parasite reproductive biology.

Detection of Moku virus and replication in honey bees and social wasps (2020)
Journal Article
Highfield, A., Kevill, J., Mordecai, G., Hunt, J., Henderson, S., Sauvard, D., …Schroeder, D. (2020). Detection of Moku virus and replication in honey bees and social wasps. Viruses, 12(6), 607. https://doi.org/10.3390/v12060607

Transmission of honey bee viruses to other insects, and vice versa, has previously been reported and the true ecological importance of this phenomenon is still being realized. Members of the family Vespidae interact with honey bees via predation or t... Read More about Detection of Moku virus and replication in honey bees and social wasps.

Honey bee pathogens and diseases (2020)
Book Chapter
Martin, S., & Allsop, M. (2020). Honey bee pathogens and diseases. In C. Starr (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Social Insects. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90306-4_59-1

Honey bees are the most intensively studied of all social insects – quite possibly the most studied of any invertebrate animal. As such their diseases and pests have become well-known. It is unlikely that any other social insect is affected by such a... Read More about Honey bee pathogens and diseases.

Varroa destructor reproduction and cell re-capping in mite-resistant Apis mellifera populations (2019)
Journal Article
Martin, S., Hawkins, G., Brettell, L., Reece, N., Correia-Oliveira, M., & Allsopp, M. (2020). Varroa destructor reproduction and cell re-capping in mite-resistant Apis mellifera populations. Apidologie, 51(3), 369-381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-019-00721-9

Globalization has facilitated the spread of emerging pests such as the Varroa destructor mite, resulting in the near global distribution of the pest. In South African and Brazilian honey bees, mite-resistant colonies appeared within a decade; in Euro... Read More about Varroa destructor reproduction and cell re-capping in mite-resistant Apis mellifera populations.

Phenotypic plasticity of nest-mate recognition cues in formica exsecta ants (2019)
Journal Article
Martin, S., Drijfhout, F., & Hart, A. (2019). Phenotypic plasticity of nest-mate recognition cues in formica exsecta ants. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 45(9), 735-740. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-019-01103-2

It is well established that many ant species have evolved qualitatively distinct species-specific chemical profile that are stable overlarge geographical distances. Within these species profiles quantitative variations in the chemical profile allows... Read More about Phenotypic plasticity of nest-mate recognition cues in formica exsecta ants.

Cuckoo Bumble Bees (Bombus (Psithyrus)) (2019)
Book Chapter
Martin, S. (2019). Cuckoo Bumble Bees (Bombus (Psithyrus)). In C. Starr (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Social Insects. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90306-4_33-1

There are about 250 species of bumble bees, genus Bombus, of which 30 have evolved into social parasites known as cuckoo bumble bees. All cuckoo bumble bees were at one time placed in their own genus, Psithyrus, which is now treated as a monophyletic... Read More about Cuckoo Bumble Bees (Bombus (Psithyrus)).

Deformed wing virus in honeybees and other insects (2019)
Journal Article
Martin, S., & Brettell, L. (2019). Deformed wing virus in honeybees and other insects. Annual Review of Virology, 6(1), 49-69. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-virology-092818-015700

Deformed wing virus (DWV) has become the most well-known, widespread, and intensively studied insect pathogen in the world. Although DWV was previously present in honeybee populations, the arrival and global spread of a new vector, the ectoparasitic... Read More about Deformed wing virus in honeybees and other insects.

Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the small hive beetle Aethina tumida (Insecta: Coleoptera) from Hawaii (2019)
Journal Article
Takahashi, J., Okuyama, H., & Martin, S. (2019). Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the small hive beetle Aethina tumida (Insecta: Coleoptera) from Hawaii. Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 4(1), 1522-1523. https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2019.1601516

We analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome of the small hive beetle Aethina tumida, a major honeybee pest that was accidentally transported to the Hawaii Islands, USA. The mitochondrial genome of A. tumida was identified as a 15,198 bp circular mo... Read More about Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the small hive beetle Aethina tumida (Insecta: Coleoptera) from Hawaii.

DWV-A lethal to honey bees (Apis mellifera) : a colony level survey of DWV variants (A, B & C) in England, Wales and 32 states across the US (2019)
Journal Article
Kevill, J., de Souza, F., Sharples, C., Oliver, R., Schroeder, D., & Martin, S. (2019). DWV-A lethal to honey bees (Apis mellifera) : a colony level survey of DWV variants (A, B & C) in England, Wales and 32 states across the US. Viruses, 11(5), 426. https://doi.org/10.3390/v11050426

The strong association between Varroa destructor and Deformed wing virus (DWV), and high overwintering colony losses (OCL) of honey bees is well established. Three DWV master variants: DWV-A, B and C, have been described. However, their various roles... Read More about DWV-A lethal to honey bees (Apis mellifera) : a colony level survey of DWV variants (A, B & C) in England, Wales and 32 states across the US.

RNAseq analysis reveals virus diversity within Hawaiian apiary insect communities (2019)
Journal Article
Brettell, L., Schroeder, D., & Martin, S. (2019). RNAseq analysis reveals virus diversity within Hawaiian apiary insect communities. Viruses, 11(5), 397. https://doi.org/10.3390/v11050397

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is the most abundant viral pathogen of honey bees and has been associated with large-scale colony losses. DWV and other bee-associated RNA viruses are generalists capable of infecting diverse hosts. Here we used RNAseq analy... Read More about RNAseq analysis reveals virus diversity within Hawaiian apiary insect communities.

Asian Honey Bee Apis cerana foraging on mushrooms (2019)
Journal Article
Takahashi, J., Hosaki, K., Martin, S., & Kawabe, A. (2019). Asian Honey Bee Apis cerana foraging on mushrooms. Bee World, 96(1), 10-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/0005772X.2018.1556964

Honey bees (Apis spp.) are well known for obtaining their nutrition from pollen and nectar collected from a wide range of flowers (Winston, 1991). They also collect honeydew secreted by aphids and scale insects as an additional source of carbohydrate... Read More about Asian Honey Bee Apis cerana foraging on mushrooms.

Occurrence of deformed wing virus variants in the stingless Melipona subnitida and honey Apis mellifera bee populations in North Eastern Brazil (2019)
Journal Article
de Souza, F., Kevill, J., Correia-Oliveira, M., de Carvalho, C., & Martin, S. (2019). Occurrence of deformed wing virus variants in the stingless Melipona subnitida and honey Apis mellifera bee populations in North Eastern Brazil. Journal of General Virology, 100, 289-294. https://doi.org/10.1099/jgv.0.001206

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is now a global insect pathogen. Brazilian stingless bees are a diverse group often managed in close proximity to honey bees. We investigated the prevalence and load of DWV in 33 stingless bees (Melipona subnitida) and 12 h... Read More about Occurrence of deformed wing virus variants in the stingless Melipona subnitida and honey Apis mellifera bee populations in North Eastern Brazil.

Origins of Vespa velutina hornet that recently invaded Iki Island, Japan and Jersey Island, UK (2018)
Journal Article
Takahashi, J., Okuyama, H., Kiyoshi, T., Takeuchi, T., & Martin, S. (2019). Origins of Vespa velutina hornet that recently invaded Iki Island, Japan and Jersey Island, UK. Mitochondrial DNA Part A, 30(3), 434-439. https://doi.org/10.1080/24701394.2018.1538366

The native distribution of the yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina, is throughout East Asia. Around 15 years ago this species was accidentally introduced into South Korea and France, where it became established and then spread into neighbouring coun... Read More about Origins of Vespa velutina hornet that recently invaded Iki Island, Japan and Jersey Island, UK.

A vast 4000-year-old spatial pattern of termite mounds (2018)
Journal Article
Martin, S., Funch, R., Hanson, P., & Yoo, E. (2018). A vast 4000-year-old spatial pattern of termite mounds. Current Biology, 28(22), R1292-R1293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.09.061

The origins of many large-scale ‘biogenic’ earthen structures are controversial, because often the species that built them have vanished. This is especially true when they form regular (over-dispersed), self-organized vegetation patterns [1]. Here, w... Read More about A vast 4000-year-old spatial pattern of termite mounds.

Evidence of Varroa -mediated deformed wing virus spillover in Hawaii (2017)
Journal Article
Santamaria, J., Villalobos, E., Brettell, L., Nikaido, S., Graham, J., & Martin, S. (2017). Evidence of Varroa -mediated deformed wing virus spillover in Hawaii. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 151, 126-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2017.11.008

The spread of disease between closely related species is often times exacerbated by a vector. In this study, the Varroa mite, a pest exclusive to honeybees, has been shown to amplify the natural levels of the Deformed Wing virus, resulting in a spill... Read More about Evidence of Varroa -mediated deformed wing virus spillover in Hawaii.

Are isomeric alkenes used in species recognition among neo-tropical stingless bees (Melipona spp) (2017)
Journal Article
Martin, S., Shemilt, S., Lima, C., & Carvalho, C. (2017). Are isomeric alkenes used in species recognition among neo-tropical stingless bees (Melipona spp). Journal of Chemical Ecology, 43(11-12), 1066-1072. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-017-0901-5

The majority of our understanding of the role of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) in recognition is based largely on temperate ant species and honey bees. The stingless bees remain relatively poorly studied, despite being the largest group of eusocial be... Read More about Are isomeric alkenes used in species recognition among neo-tropical stingless bees (Melipona spp).