**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE POLLINATION SERVICES OF HONEY BEES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR FOOD PRODUCTION. RECENT DECLINES INHONEY BEE COLONY RESILIENCE AND HEALTH ARE AFFECTING POLLINATION SERVICES. DECLINES ARE CAUSED BYA NUMBER OF FACTORS, BUT PARASITES AND PATHOGENS ARE KNOWN CULPRITS RESPONSIBLE FOR SIGNIFICANTBEE LOSSES. HOWEVER, HONEY BEES ARE NOT DEFENSELESS AND POSSESS DIFFERENT TRAITS TO COMBATINFECTIONS. WHEREAS INNATE IMMUNITY IS BASED ON DIFFERENT PROTEINS, PEPTIDES AND METABOLITES THATRECOGNIZE AND NEUTRALIZE PARASITES, SOCIAL IMMUNITY IS BASED ON A REPERTOIRE OF BEHAVIORS THATBEES DEPLOY TO CONTROL DISEASE OUTBREAKS ON THE SOCIETAL LEVEL. ENHANCING THESE TRAITS IN MANAGEDBEES WOULD IMPROVE RESILIENCE TO STRESSORS. TO FACILITATE THIS, WE HAVE BROUGHT UNDERMANAGEMENT LOCAL FERAL BEE GENOTYPES THAT ARE BEHAVIORALLY DOCILE HYBRIDS OF MANAGED ANDAFRICANIZED BEES, AND VERIFIED THAT THEY ARE TOLERANT/RESISTANT TO VARROA MITES, ONE OF THE MOSTDAMAGING PARASITES OF MANAGED BEES. TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE UNIQUE SURVIVAL BEES COMBATVARROA, WE WILL CONDUCT EXPERIMENTS TO QUANTIFY MOLECULES UNDERLYING INNATE AND SOCIAL IMMUNERESPONSES USING BEHAVIORAL, CHEMICAL ANALYTICAL, AND PROTEOMIC APPROACHES. WE WILL COMPAREIMMUNE RESPONSES OF SUSCEPTIBLE (MANAGED) AND TOLERANT (SURVIVAL) BEE GENOTYPES BY IDENTIFYINGLARVAL INFOCHEMICALS INVOLVED IN SOCIAL IMMUNITY RESPONSES BY WORKERS, AND IDENTIFY PROTEINS INTHE HEMOLYMPH THAT UNDERLAY IMMUNE RESPONSES TO VARROA. BASED ON OUR FINDINGS, WE WILLPARTNER WITH LOCAL BEEKEEPERS TO ADVANCE USE OF SELECT GENOTYPES IN COMMERCIAL BREEDINGOPERATIONS AND USE MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS ON THE SPECTRUM OF TOLERANCE TRAITS TO APPLY FOR ASTANDARD GRANT.