THE AgriFutures Honey Bee & Pollination Program continues to support research that ensures a productive Australian beekeeping industry, and secures the pollination of our agricultural sector.<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s 12,400 beekeepers are one-step closer to breeding varroa-resistant bees and trapping the serious and pervasive small hive beetle (SHB), as a result of industry\u2019s ongoing investment in a robust research, development and extension (RD&E) program.<\/p>\n
AgriFutures Australia works with industry to deliver research and development outcomes.<\/p>\n
It works in partnership with the AgriFutures Honey Bee & Pollination Program Advisory Panel to determine research priorities and make investment decisions.<\/p>\n
The collaboration continues to deliver positive benefits for the industry, according to newly appointed AgriFutures Honey Bee & Pollination Manager Research, Annelies McGaw.<\/p>\n
She believes the resilience of Australia\u2019s beekeepers is reflected in the dynamic RD&E program.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralian beekeeping is valued at $98 million, but its contribution to agriculture and the national economy is far greater,\u201d Ms McGaw said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe RD&E Program addresses a number of key risks facing the industry including exotic pests and disease, economic pressures and reduced access to areas of native flora. We have 12 unique R&D projects underway that range from increasing the value of Australian honey as a health food to the probiotic development for bees by analysing gut bacteria in healthy bees, to name just a few.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the year\u2019s highlights was the findings of a three-year study into the SHB, led by Queensland researcher Dr Diana Leemon, which found that a lantern trap, together with a simple yeast based attractant, could effectively intercept and trap the SHB before it reached an apiary.<\/p>\n
As the largest and leading apiary pest in warm, damp regions of eastern Australia, the SHB costs the industry $11 million on average per year. The project included the most comprehensive economic analysis of SHB ever undertaken, and provided an outcome for industry to help manage the pest.<\/p>\n
A recent review by the University of Melbourne\u2019s Dr Kale Sniderman found that the pollen content of most Australian honeys was distinctive at a global scale and that pollen analyses enabled our honeys to be identified and certified as produced in Australia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE AgriFutures Honey Bee & Pollination Program continues to support research that ensures a productive Australian beekeeping industry, and secures the pollination of our agricultural sector. Australia\u2019s 12,400 beekeepers are one-step closer to breeding varroa-resistant bees and trapping the serious and pervasive small hive beetle (SHB), as a result of industry\u2019s ongoing investment in a […]<\/p>\n