About

I'm a PhD student at Rothamsted Research and Bangor University, and I'm currently researching the impacts of novel pesticides on bumblebee flight capabilities.

When I was 14, I was introduced to the wonderful world of bees by my grandparents. They were beekeepers for more than 50 years, and I’m incredibly thankful that they decided to pass on their skills and knowledge to me. After earning my undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Westminster, I started my own urban beekeeping business.

Whilst managing fourteen hives across the rooftops of London, my work as house beekeeper for This Morning led to a seasonal slot on the programme which I used to promote awareness of pollinators. It was a fantastic experience and my first taste of science communication — something I have now devoted my social media platforms to.

In time, beekeeping led me to studying bumblebee nutrition as part of my MSc by Research at Royal Holloway. This experience opened my eyes to the harms of beekeeping, and I became passionate about wild bees. Thus, I jumped at the opportunity to study them further as part of my PhD.

Although various setbacks (including lab closures and, of course, a global pandemic) have attempted to thwart me, I am on track to finish my PhD in October 2022. I hope that it will be the beginning of a long career as an entomologist.

In my spare time, you can find me spreading knowledge about bumblebees and other conservation issues on Instagram and Twitter, or streaming League of Legends (!) on Twitch — come and talk to me about pollinators!

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Bangor University & Rothamsted Research
PhD, School of Natural Sciences
2018 - present

• Planned and conducted two fully crossed agrochemical experiments on bumblebee (Bombus terrestris audax) colonies using flight mills to assess the impact of combined agrochemicals on the fitness parameters of foragers. 
• Planned and conducted additional field and lab based experiments on bumblebee colonies, including using specialised equipment (novel tracking array, flight mills, harmonic radar) to measure bumblebee flight behaviour and recording visual observations, and adapting to unforeseen circumstances as necessary.
• Conducted statistical analysis using R and Genstat.

Insect Cognition Lab, Royal Holloway, University of London
Field assistant
Aug 2018 - Oct 2018

• Conducted fieldwork to collect data for BeeDanceGap, an ERC-funded research project.
• Trained honeybees (Apis mellifera) to a feeder, marked visiting honeybees, and recorded how often marked individuals visited the feeder.
• Filmed observation colonies for the purposes of capturing waggle dances in order to identify “dance followers”.

Royal Holloway, University of London
MSc by Research in Biological Sciences
2017 - 2018

• Planned and conducted an experiment to determine the nutritional intake values (protein and lipid) of wild-caught bumblebee queens.
• Post-hibernation Bombus terrestris (n=165) and Bombus pascuorum (n=165) queens were caught and screened for parasites. Parasite-free individuals were accommodated in custom built cages and fed sucrose solution alongside a protein and/or lipid diet. Following sacrifice, the bumblebee queens were dissected and their average ovary length recorded as a proxy for fitness.
• Additionally, research aimed to determine bumblebee queen intake targets for proteins and lipids using the geometric framework model for nutrition. Analysis is ongoing.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Freelance beekeeper, Tom Oliver Beekeeping
June 2017 – September 2018

• Independently managed fourteen hives across central London alongside my studies
• Liaised with clients to negotiate the best rates
• Promoted awareness of pollinators to a broad audience via seasonal slots on popular television programme, This Morning, where I was the house beekeeper

Assistant beekeeper, The London Honey Company
April 2017 - June 2017

• Inspecting and maintaining hives at several sites across the south of England, working twelve hour days on many occasions
• Performed pest and disease management at affected sites
• Harvested and extracted honey under tight deadlines 

Assistant beekeeper, Black Bee Honey Company
September 2015 - April 2017

• Educated clients about honeybees while caring for their hives
• Attended courses hosted by DEFRA to improve my knowledge of disease management
• Hosted volunteering sessions to educate the public about urban beekeeping

PUBLICATIONS

Siviter, H., E. J.  Bailes, C. D.  Martin, T. R.  Oliver, J.  Koricheva, E.  Leadbeater, and M. J. F.  Brown. (2021) Agrochemicals interact synergistically to increase bee mortality. Nature. 596: 389–392.