National Honey Bee Breeding Strategy 2024-2029
In all livestock industries, genetic selection has been used to increase animal productivity and, by extension, enterprise profitability. The Australian honey bee industry is no...
HONEY BEE & POLLINATION
Hygienic Behaviour of Stocks of the Western Australian Honeybee Breeding Program
47 pages
Published: 16 Nov 2010
Author(s): Dr Rob Manning
Share this content
-
Download report PDF
Download -
Purchase a hard copy - AUD $45.00
A study of the hygienic behaviour of bees from the Western Australian Queen Bee Breeding Program (Better Bees group) showed that some breeding lines exhibited higher levels of hygienic behaviour in the removal of dead brood than other lines.
Hygienic behaviour is a mechanism of disease resistance where bees are able to remove brood from the nest before the pathogen becomes infectious. Honeybees having the hygienic trait show resistance to diseases such as American foulbrood, chalkbrood and to some limited extent the parasite varroa.
Further knowledge of hygienic behaviour should assist queen bee breeders to exploit those identified lines to produce by instrumental insemination a “hygienic” line for beekeepers Australia-wide so apiaries of bees will be more resistant to bee diseases.
Related resources
Varroa destructor Research Strategy 2024-2027
Following the arrival of varroa at the Port of Newcastle, AgriFutures Australia commissioned research on how the industry should prepare for the possible establishment of...
Fact sheet: Identifying new revenue opportunities for the honey bee industry
The primary objective of the Identifying revenue opportunities for AgriFutures Australia’s rural industries project was to identify potential new and alternate revenue sources within 28...
Clover4Bees: Pilot study
The Clover4Bees pilot study represents a significant step forward in understanding the potential of pasture legumes to benefit the Australian honey bee industry. The project...
The buzz of the nation: The European honey bee and its remarkable impact on Australian agriculture
Small in size but extraordinarily influential, the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) has a remarkable impact on our food and livelihoods. About two-thirds of Australian...
Project snapshot: Value of honey bee pollination to the Australian economy
Since the mid-1980s, economists have made numerous attempts at estimating the value of honey bee pollination to the Australian economy. The exercise is not straightforward,...
Industry blueprint: Honey Bee & Pollination
This blueprint serves as a resource for those interested in the honey bee and pollination industry and provides essential fast facts alongside the fundamental themes...
Value of honey bee pollination to the Australian economy
Since the mid-1980s, economists have made numerous attempts at estimating the value of honey bee pollination to the Australian economy. The exercise is not straightforward,...