05/20/2026
The HBRC would like to congratulate Wissarut on completing and successfully defending his PhD thesis. Wissarut worked very hard on a massive project and succeeded at every stage. Congratulations, Dr. Wissarut!
His research asked a fascinating question: can natural plant compounds protect honey bees from disease? By testing five dietary phytochemicals including β-carotene, daucosterol, terpinen-4-ol, naringenin, and piperine against Nosema ceranae infection, Wissarut investigated how these bioactive compounds influence honey bee health and behaviour across multiple biological scales, from individual bee survivorship and gut microbiome composition to forager performance and colony level outcomes.
His findings revealed that select phytochemicals can modulate the gut microbiota, support beneficial core genera and reduce the impact of Nosema ceranae spore loads on honey bee workers. Notably, certain phytochemical treatments were also associated with enhanced foraging behaviour, including improved navigation and homing ability in forager bees, suggesting that dietary supplementation may not only protect bees from pathogen induced decline but also help maintain the foraging efficiency that colonies depend on for survival.
These findings offer promising evidence for a nature based, dietary approach to managing one of the most prevalent microsporidian pathogens threatening managed honey bee colonies worldwide.
