The Giannoni-Guzmán Lab is working with honey bees to answer key questions in the field of chronobiology. Bees offer unparalleled insight into both the molecular and environmental controls for biological clocks.

An alarm clock placed on green moss among pink and yellow flowers with a blurred background and sunlight.
Fluorescent microscopy image of a bee brain
Close-up of a honey bee with bright green number tag

What We Do:

Our lab investigates the neural basis and developmental regulation of circadian rhythms in the honey bee (Apis mellifera). Circadian clocks are fundamental timekeeping mechanisms that align physiology and behavior with the 24-hour day. In bees, they regulate the timing of foraging, navigation, communication, and division of labor—behaviors essential for colony survival and agricultural pollination. 

We focus on three key questions: 

  1. How do circadian neurons function in the honey bee brain? 

  2. How do environmental stressors alter circadian processes? 

  3. How does genetic variation shape timing of social behavior? 

By studying bee circadian biology, our lab aims to advance both fundamental chronobiology and practical approaches to safeguard pollinator health, agriculture, while uncovering principles of biological timing relevant to human health. 

 

Two honey bees near a leaf, one bee is climbing onto a surface and the other bee is in mid-flight.