QLS Seminar - Wed. 10 April at 2:00pm - "Where to locate the beehives and bee pasture?" by Jomar Fajardo Rabajante

[Quantitative Life Sciences]

Dear All,

On Wednesday, 10 April at 14:00 CET, Jomar Fajardo Rabajante (University 
of the Philippines Los Baños-UPLB) will give a seminar titled:

*Where to locate the beehives and bee pasture?
*

_Abstract:_

In this presentation, I will introduce a nuanced approach aimed at 
curbing the transmission of infectious diseases among bees, a crucial 
consideration given their role as pollinators for numerous plant 
species. While bees serve as essential contributors to ecosystems, they 
are susceptible to microbial diseases, which can spread within their 
communities. An infected bee traversing its foraging area may 
inadvertently leave behind infective spores, posing a risk to other bees 
and the plants they visit. To address this challenge, one proposed 
solution involves beekeepers implementing a buffer foraging area and 
strategically locating beehives to segregate bee colonies. However, this 
strategy presents a dual potential: it can serve as a protective 
barrier, mitigating disease transmission, or it may inadvertently 
attract more bees, thereby increasing the likelihood of infection 
spread. In this discussion, we will delve into the intricate dynamics 
underlying this strategy using mathematical modeling. We will explore 
factors such as the impact of foraging distances, the influence of 
stochastic bee behavior, the implications of optimal foraging theory, 
and strategies for designing the buffer area to minimize negative 
outcomes. Through this analysis, we aim to offer insights into 
optimizing beekeeping practices to safeguard bee health and enhance 
ecological resilience.

_References_
[1] M.K.A. Gavina, J.F. Rabajante and C.R. Cervancia, Mathematical 
programming models for determining the optimal location of beehives, 
Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 76 (997-1016), 2014.
[2] E.O. Jatulan, J.F. Rabajante, C.G.B. Banaay, A.C. Fajardo Jr. and 
E.C. Jose, A mathematical model of intra-colony spread of American 
Foulbrood in European honeybees (Apis mellifera L.), PLoS ONE, 10 
(e0143805), 2015.
[3] J.F. Rabajante, J.M. Tubay, E.C. Jose and C.R. Cervancia, Pollinator 
diversity and density measures: survey and indexing standard to model, 
detect, and assess pollinator deficits, Modeling Earth Systems and 
Environment, 6 (363-371), 2020.

_
_
_The seminar will take place in the *Common area*, Ex SISSA building, 
Second floor, via Beirut 2
_
You are all most welcome to attend!

Best regards,
Erica

-- 
Erica Sarnataro
Group Secretary
Quantitative Life Sciences
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
Trieste,  Italy
Tel. +39-040-2240623
www.ictp.it/research/qls.aspx
e-mail:qls at ictp.it