Professor Taher Ahmed Shaibi

Research work has been largely focused on honey bees (Apis mellifera), particularly in Libya and the North African region.

Research includes studying the genetic diversity of bee subspecies and their evolutionary origins, alongside analyzing mitochondrial DNA in the Arab world. It also examines the impact of long-term isolation, approximately 10,000 years, on honey bee populations in Saharan oases.

Studies have addressed the morphological characteristics of Libyan honey bees and how these characteristics are influenced by factors such as the age of wax combs.

Bee colony health has also been investigated by examining the prevalence of parasites such as Varroa mites (Varroa destructor) and bee lice (Braula coeca) in honey bee colonies in Libya.

1. Khalfallah AM, Barbash N, Ghana S, Shaibi (In preparation). The impact of geographical isolation on morphological characters of Apis mellifera in Libyan Oases.
2. Keshlaf M, ..., Shaibi T (2023). Prevalence of Varroa mites (Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman) and bee lice (Braula coeca Nitzsch) in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies in Libya. Open Veterinary Journal, 13(7): 834–838.
3. Shaibi T (2013). The honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) of Libya. Egypt. Acad. J. Biolog. Sci., 6(2): 39–47.
4. El-Niweiri MAA, Shaibi T, Adam EAO (2013). Mitochondrial genetic analysis of the honeybee Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in the Arab land. Persian Gulf Crop Protection, 2: 25–34.
5. Alfalah H, Shaibi T, Tawfiq M, Mogrby A (2012). The effects of wax comb age on some morphometrics characteristics of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) workers. Persian Gulf Crop Protection, 1: 17–22.
6. Jaffé R, Dietemann V, Allsopp MH, Costa C, Crewe RM, Dall'Olio R, De la Rúa P, El-Niweiri MAA, Fries I, Kezic N, Meusel MS, Paxton RJ, Shaibi T, Stolle E, Moritz RFA (2010). Estimating the density of honeybee colonies across their natural range to fill the gap in pollinator decline censuses. Conservation Biology, 24: 583–593.
7. Shaibi T, Moritz RFA (2010). 10,000 years in isolation? Honeybees (Apis mellifera) in Saharan Oases. Conservation Genetics, 11: 2085–2089.
8. Shaibi T, Muñoz I, Dall'Olio R, Lodesani M, De la Rúa P, Moritz RFA (2009). Apis mellifera evolutionary lineages in Northern Africa: Libya, where Orient meets Occident. Insectes Sociaux, 56: 293–300.
9. Shaibi T, Fuchs S, Moritz RFA (2009). Morphological study of Honeybees (Apis mellifera) from Libya. Apidologie, 40: 97–105.
10. Shaibi T, Lattorff HMG, Moritz RFA (2008). A microsatellite toolkit for studying population structure in Apis mellifera. Molecular Ecology Resources, 8: 1034–1036.