Susan Cobey at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility This is Franklin's bumble bee, which he fears may be extinct. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Susan Cobey
Susan, a bee breeder-geneticist, manages the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. Her research focuses on identifying, selecting and enhancing honey bee stocks that show increasing levels of resistance to pests and diseases. Cobey developed the New World Carniolans stock, a dark race of honey bees, in the early 1980s by back-crossing stocks collected from throughout the United States to create a more pure strain. “Over time, it has proven very productive, winter hardy, well-tempered and more resistant to pests and disease,” she said. Genetic diversity, the raw tools for selection, is critical “in maintaining colony fitness and resisting pests and diseases,” she said. Susan teaches advanced courses on queen bee rearing and queen bee insemination, drawing students from throughout the world.
Building a Better Bee: New World and Old World Unite
Instruction
Curriculum vitae
Contact:
Susan Cobey
Bee breeder-geneticist
Email: swcobey@ucdavis.edu
Phone: (530) 754-9390