A team of Alberta researchers has received grants worth $400,000 to study honey bee viruses.

Drs. Trushar Patel, a Canada Research Chair and associate professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Lethbridge, and Shelley Hoover, a ULethbridge associate professor in Biological Sciences and honey bee expert, are teaming up with Drs. Wade Abbott, a scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Lara Mahal, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Glycomics at the University of Alberta, to better understand how these honey bee-infecting viruses are transmitted and how they interact with their host.

"Understanding the mechanisms of honey bee viruses is crucial for developing effective strategies to protect these vital pollinators,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge vice-president of research. “The collaborative efforts of these r…