FAQ's for Researchers

Pollen metabarcoding (PMB)

: For the past several seasons, the Grozinger Lab has used pollen metabarcoding to identify floral foraging sources for wild and managed bees. Several projects have have collected weekly/seasonal pollen trap and honey samples to understand regional and seasonal variations in floral resources. Studies with Osmia and Bombus species have identified important floral resources in pollen partitions and pollen basket samples respectively. Much of the information collected in Pennsylvania contributes to the lab’s ongoing mission to provide the most up-to-date information for Beescape, which is a web-based tool where beekeepers and pollinator researchers to investigate the forage quality of their surrounding landscapes. If you have a project in mind where identification of floral resources is key to understanding the ecology and conservation of, or managing pollinators of interest, please contact us to discuss how we can best serve your research objectives and needs.
: Currently we have expertise in working with several types of pollinator samples, including uncapped and processed honey, corbicular pollen, pollen collected from insects bodies, pollen partitions from species such as Osmia and pollen basket samples from Bombus and others.

The process requires a minimum of 20 mg of total pollen prior to DNA extraction. However, there are several ways we can leverage small (>20 mg) sample sizes so please contact us if you are concerned about size limitations.

After collection, all sample types should be stored at a minimum of 4°C short term (24-48 h) but ideally at -20 °C until processing for PMB.
: Methodology for the PMB process is derived from the work of Dr. Douglas Sponsler.
: The following is a sample report. In addition to individual and cumulative sample reports, we also can provide original sequence files & pipeline output.
: Cost per sample: PSU $85 USD, External $130. Please contact Dr. Michele Mansfield for more specific questions about pricing and for discounts on bulk sample submission.

Upon receiving your sample(s), you will receive an invoice from the PSU-HPDL and instructions on how to submit your payment.

Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) Detection in Honey

As spotted lanternfly continues to progress throughout the eastern part of the US, we have received a significant amount of feedback from PA beekeepers and researchers interested in testing honey for SLF honeydew residue. In response to this demand, the HPDL has developed a screen to detect SLF DNA in honey using highly sensitive methodology developed in the Lockwood lab at Rutgers. In the future we hope to use honey as a potential environmental monitoring tool to better help us understand SLF movement and its impact on the environment.

: We hope to have this services available in late 2023/early 2024 so stay tuned!

FAQ's for Researchers

Pollen metabarcoding (PMB)

Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) Detection in Honey

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