Academic colleagues in the UK rescue University of Galway bee research project

Academic colleagues in the UK have come to the rescue of a University of Galway research team who needed urgent help with an important bee ecology project.

The team went to Boughton Estate Forests in Northampton to compare the DNA of wild bees to conventionally managed bees that are kept in hives.

After collecting samples of bees, the Galway team needed support with freezing the samples as quickly as possible to avoid any deterioration of the bees’ DNA so the samples could be safely transported back to Galway for testing.

The University of Northampton’s Science department opened their doors giving them access to urgently-needed, cold storage equipment and expertise.

Overall, the team, led by Professor Grace McCormack are aiming to sample 90 colonies at three sites in Britain, including Boughton, Blenheim and one other location.