Dr. James Nieh

Biography

James Nieh is a prominent researcher focusing on how natural and man-made stressors affect the cognitive behaviors exhibited by bees. His research is concentrated in two main areas: the selective pressures that shape the evolution of communication in highly social bees and the health of honey bees. He employs tools from Behavioral Ecology, Chemical Ecology, Animal Communication, and Neuroethology to study various bee species including bumble bees, stingless bees, and honey bees. His lab examines the urgent issue of pollinator declines, investigating the impacts of natural stressors, pathogens, and pesticides on honey bee health, including aspects of foraging, flight, and orientation. Additionally, Nieh's work explores the phenomenon of inhibitory communication in bees under circumstances of food source depletion, questioning how communication among these superorganisms adapts to environmental changes. He also studies the implications of olfactory eavesdropping, where bees can gain advantages over competitors and predators. Historically, Nieh has contributed to the field of neuroethology, exploring how small brain sizes affect learning and memory in social insects, while his research also addresses the impacts of pesticides on their cognitive abilities.

Research Interests