Honey bees are essential for pollinating many of the crops that feed our communities, yet their health is increasingly threatened by environmental stressors, including pesticides and changes in…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Middle Tennessee State University $200,000 on August 1, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), CFDA 10.310, to develop tools for visualizing and measuring the activity of brain cells that control circadian rhythms in honey bees.

The project will use specially engineered viruses to introduce fluorescent and glowing markers into neurons controlling the circadian clock, enabling researchers to observe when these cells are active and how they respond to environmental changes. The work will examine how light at different times of day affects the electrical activity of clock cells in honey bee brains. These methods are designed to clarify how bees sense and process daily light cues that guide foraging, navigation, and communication behavior. The research aims to build understanding of how environmental factors such as pesticides, light disruption, and climate change influence bee brain function and overall health, with the goal of informing better practices for protecting honey bees and improving pollination reliability.

Performance occurs in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with a period of performance from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2028. The award is classified as a Project Grant.

Honey bees are essential for pollinating many of the crops that feed our communities, yet their health is increasingly threatened by environmental stressors, including pesticides and changes in light and climate. One of the most overlooked aspects of BEE health is their internal circadian clock – the biological timekeeper that helps bees know when to forage, navigate, and communicate. When this clock is disrupted, bees can become disoriented, less efficient at pollination, and more vulnerable to stress. Because pollination supports billions of dollars in agricultural production and is vital to ecosystem stability, understanding how BEE circadian rhythms work is critical for protecting both food security and environmental health. This project will develop new tools that allow researchers to visualize and measure the activity of specific brain cells that control the circadian clock in honey bees. Using specially engineered viruses, we will introduce fluorescent and glowing markers into these neurons so we can see when they are active and how they respond to changes in the environment. We will also examine how light at different times of day affects the electrical activity of these clock cells. These methods will give US a clearer picture of how bees sense and process daily light cues that guide their behavior.by creating these tools and collecting new data, the project aims to build a deeper understanding of how environmental factors influence BEE brain function and overall health. The results can ultimately help researchers, beekeepers, and agricultural specialists develop better practices for protecting honey bees and improving pollination reliability. In the long term, this work will support healthier ecosystems, more stable crop production, and stronger scientific foundations for managing pollinator health in a changing world.