Ecological entomology

Prof. dr. ir. Ivan Meeus

My main interest is to understand factors that influence the health of wild bees. This can be at population level, for instance the habitat they need, but also at the individual level, for instance how impaired immunity affects host tolerance and resistance to pathogens. Currently, this goal to understand and thus to improve bee health translates into the following research topics:

• Tailored management for rare pollinators by reducing food competition with abundant species in a location-specific manner.
• Parasite-mediated competition: bee health in relation to host-parasite interactions.

Wild bees also provide added value for the farmer, because they are primary pollinators for numerous crucial crops. Therefore we try to optimize pollination services in crops using mechanistic spatial models to predict wild bee abundance in agricultural landscapes.

Why study bee health?

The starting point of the Anthropocene, characterized by the significant impact of human activities on Earth's geology and ecosystems, can be subjects of debate. However, what is evident in our world with profound global changes is the occurrence of a sixth mass extinction, significantly affecting Earth's biodiversity. Bees play a vital role in the pollination of flowering plants and thus in their reproduction; plus their distribution ranges and biodiversity is in decline. That is why understanding bee health is so important, in essence to safeguard plant biodiversity and their underpinning ecosystem services.

 Publications