Who we are?
Research Group Leader
Dr. Margaret J. Couvillon
Associate Professor, Pollinator Biology & Ecology
I am a broadly trained bee researcher with a particular interest in the foraging and recruitment behaviors of the honey bee. I earned my undergraduate degree from Loyola University in New Orleans (B.S. in Biology, minor in Chemistry) and then spent a year as an AmeriCorps *NCCC volunteer. I completed a M.S. in Neurobiology at Duke University before moving overseas for my Ph.D. with Professor Francis Ratnieks at the University of Sheffield, where I investigated mechanisms of nestmate recognition in honey bees and stingless bees. As a postdoctoral researcher with Professor Anna Dornhaus at the University of Arizona, I investigated proximate and ultimate explanations for worker size variation in the bumble bee Bombus impatiens. For a second postdoc, I rejoined the lab of Francis Ratnieks, now at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. There I worked to develop the honey bee, in particular its waggle dance communication, as a bioindicator for the "health" of the British landscape.
I started as an Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech in 2017 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2024. Please see my google scholar profile for up-to-date publications from me and my group.
Contact: Email me | Google Scholar Profile | The BeeGroup @ VT Facebook Page
Associate Professor, Pollinator Biology & Ecology
I am a broadly trained bee researcher with a particular interest in the foraging and recruitment behaviors of the honey bee. I earned my undergraduate degree from Loyola University in New Orleans (B.S. in Biology, minor in Chemistry) and then spent a year as an AmeriCorps *NCCC volunteer. I completed a M.S. in Neurobiology at Duke University before moving overseas for my Ph.D. with Professor Francis Ratnieks at the University of Sheffield, where I investigated mechanisms of nestmate recognition in honey bees and stingless bees. As a postdoctoral researcher with Professor Anna Dornhaus at the University of Arizona, I investigated proximate and ultimate explanations for worker size variation in the bumble bee Bombus impatiens. For a second postdoc, I rejoined the lab of Francis Ratnieks, now at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. There I worked to develop the honey bee, in particular its waggle dance communication, as a bioindicator for the "health" of the British landscape.
I started as an Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech in 2017 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2024. Please see my google scholar profile for up-to-date publications from me and my group.
Contact: Email me | Google Scholar Profile | The BeeGroup @ VT Facebook Page
Graduate students
Ian McKellips
Ian is interested in cultural control strategies that preserve honey bee health, maximize pollination, and support long-term hive sustainability. He received his B.A. in Biology from Christopher Newport University and also possesses expertise as a Master Gardener and an Apprentice Beekeeper from Washington State. Ian also served for nine years in the Navy, working in aviation cargo instruction and logistics management. He continues his service in the Navy Reserves.
For his Ph.D., Ian will investigate the effect of a native wildflower plot on the foraging, habitat, and refuge of honey bees, non-Apis bees, and beneficial parasitoids in a fruit crop environment. For example, we previously demonstrated that honey bees increase their use of apple orchards after the apple trees have completed their blooming, collecting nectar and pollen from the abundant wildflowers growing between the orchard rows and under the apple trees (Steele et al. 2022). However, this post-bloom forage also increases their exposure to pesticides (Couvillon, Steele et al. In Prep). Ian will experimentally determine if a newly planted wildflower meadow, as an alternative forage, will decrease honey bee post-bloom pesticide exposure when the hives are located in orchards. Ian's research is supported by the VA Post 9/11 GI Bill and a Southern SARE Student Research Fellowship.
Ian is interested in cultural control strategies that preserve honey bee health, maximize pollination, and support long-term hive sustainability. He received his B.A. in Biology from Christopher Newport University and also possesses expertise as a Master Gardener and an Apprentice Beekeeper from Washington State. Ian also served for nine years in the Navy, working in aviation cargo instruction and logistics management. He continues his service in the Navy Reserves.
For his Ph.D., Ian will investigate the effect of a native wildflower plot on the foraging, habitat, and refuge of honey bees, non-Apis bees, and beneficial parasitoids in a fruit crop environment. For example, we previously demonstrated that honey bees increase their use of apple orchards after the apple trees have completed their blooming, collecting nectar and pollen from the abundant wildflowers growing between the orchard rows and under the apple trees (Steele et al. 2022). However, this post-bloom forage also increases their exposure to pesticides (Couvillon, Steele et al. In Prep). Ian will experimentally determine if a newly planted wildflower meadow, as an alternative forage, will decrease honey bee post-bloom pesticide exposure when the hives are located in orchards. Ian's research is supported by the VA Post 9/11 GI Bill and a Southern SARE Student Research Fellowship.
Lindsay Johnson
Lindsay is interested in honey bee health and well being, with a particular focus on foraging and recruitment. She received her B.S. from Virginia Tech in 2023 with a major in Biology and a minor in Entomology.
For her M.S., Lindsay will investigate ways we can determine honey bee forage distance. In particular, she will calibrate and validate honey bee flight duration as a proxy for distance, including comparing its estimates against the distance estimates obtained from a dancing bee, which is the gold standard for determining flight distance. Lindsay's research is supported by an OREI NIFA grant, awarded to collaborators PI Dr. López-Uribe and Underwood at Penn State Univeristy. Dr. Couvillon is a co-PI on that grant.
Lindsay is interested in honey bee health and well being, with a particular focus on foraging and recruitment. She received her B.S. from Virginia Tech in 2023 with a major in Biology and a minor in Entomology.
For her M.S., Lindsay will investigate ways we can determine honey bee forage distance. In particular, she will calibrate and validate honey bee flight duration as a proxy for distance, including comparing its estimates against the distance estimates obtained from a dancing bee, which is the gold standard for determining flight distance. Lindsay's research is supported by an OREI NIFA grant, awarded to collaborators PI Dr. López-Uribe and Underwood at Penn State Univeristy. Dr. Couvillon is a co-PI on that grant.
Laboratory technician
Tyler Shaw
Tyler received both his BS and MS from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. He is interested in using honey bees as bioindicators to help in wildlife conservation. Tyler is supported by an OREI NIFA grant, where Dr. Couvillon is a co-PI on the grant.
Tyler received both his BS and MS from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. He is interested in using honey bees as bioindicators to help in wildlife conservation. Tyler is supported by an OREI NIFA grant, where Dr. Couvillon is a co-PI on the grant.
Lab alumni
Dr. Laura McHenry, Ph.D. 2024
For her Ph.D., Laura investigated honey bee recruitment and foraging in different contexts. In particular, she examined the impact of individual calibration on honey bee recruitment success (McHenry et al. 2025). Additionally she investigated the impact of Glyphosate on foraging and bee brain chemistry (McHenry et al. Accepted). Lastly, she examined recruitment networks, showing that honey bee recruitment is a sparse but bimodally bursty network (McHenry et al. In Prep). Laura's research was funded by the Department of Entomology and MJC's start up.
For her Ph.D., Laura investigated honey bee recruitment and foraging in different contexts. In particular, she examined the impact of individual calibration on honey bee recruitment success (McHenry et al. 2025). Additionally she investigated the impact of Glyphosate on foraging and bee brain chemistry (McHenry et al. Accepted). Lastly, she examined recruitment networks, showing that honey bee recruitment is a sparse but bimodally bursty network (McHenry et al. In Prep). Laura's research was funded by the Department of Entomology and MJC's start up.
Dr. Bradley Ohlinger, Ph.D. 2023
For his Ph.D., Brad investigated honey bee foraging across different landscapes in Virginia. In particular, he used the honey bee waggle dance to understand the spatial and temporal availability of food for honey bees in representative areas (Ohlinger et al. 2022a, Ohlinger et al 2022b, Ohlinger et al. 2023, Ohlinger et al In Prep). Brad was co-advised by Dr. Maggie Couvillon and Dr. Roger Schürch, and his research was supported by The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR).
Dr. Ohlinger is currently a postdoctoral research fellow with Dr. Taka Sasaki in the Odom School of Ecology at the University of Georgia.
For his Ph.D., Brad investigated honey bee foraging across different landscapes in Virginia. In particular, he used the honey bee waggle dance to understand the spatial and temporal availability of food for honey bees in representative areas (Ohlinger et al. 2022a, Ohlinger et al 2022b, Ohlinger et al. 2023, Ohlinger et al In Prep). Brad was co-advised by Dr. Maggie Couvillon and Dr. Roger Schürch, and his research was supported by The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR).
Dr. Ohlinger is currently a postdoctoral research fellow with Dr. Taka Sasaki in the Odom School of Ecology at the University of Georgia.
Chad Campbell, M.S. 2023
For his M.S., Chad investigated if honey bee foraging preferences, as communicated by the waggle dance, are predictive of the success and productivity of another managed, introduced pollinator, the Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee (Campbell et al. In Prep). Chad's research was supported by The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR).
For his M.S., Chad investigated if honey bee foraging preferences, as communicated by the waggle dance, are predictive of the success and productivity of another managed, introduced pollinator, the Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee (Campbell et al. In Prep). Chad's research was supported by The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR).
Mary Silliman, M.S. 2021
For her M.S., Mary investigating honey bee foraging in row crop systems (Silliman et al. 2022). Mary was co-advised by Dr. Maggie Couvillon and Dr. Sally Taylor, and her research was supported by The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR).
For her M.S., Mary investigating honey bee foraging in row crop systems (Silliman et al. 2022). Mary was co-advised by Dr. Maggie Couvillon and Dr. Sally Taylor, and her research was supported by The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR).
Taylor Steele, M.S. 2021
For her M.S., Taylor investigated honey bee foraging in a fruit crop environment (Steele et al. 2022).
For her M.S., Taylor investigated honey bee foraging in a fruit crop environment (Steele et al. 2022).
Micki Palmersheim, M.S. 2021
For her M.S., Micki compared the abundance and diversity of insect pollinator visitors to 25 common garden plants (Palmersheim et al 2022).
For her M.S., Micki compared the abundance and diversity of insect pollinator visitors to 25 common garden plants (Palmersheim et al 2022).
Junior researchers
Nate and Rosie
Our children are investigating the effects of periodic sleep disturbance on the well-being of their parents.
Our children are investigating the effects of periodic sleep disturbance on the well-being of their parents.