Resilient beekeeping in the face of Varroa

Summary

Varroa is the biggest threat to the Australian honeybee industry and the industries that rely on bees for pollination services. This project will determine the best strategies to manage and control Varroa in the Australian context, make projections about spread, and the likely effects on honeybee health and pollination services via a systematic review of the literature. A series of fact sheets will summarise what is known and the best path forward in terms of biosecurity, treatment and management, breeding, honeybee health, viruses, and pollination continuation. Recommendations will be made for future research directions based on gaps in our knowledge, particularly in the Australian context. The project will organise webinars by international experts on each of our themes for beekeepers to get information directly and to ask questions. The Australian Bee Research Alliance will also hold webinars to upskill Australian bee researchers on Varroa.

Program

Honey Bee

Research organisation

The University of Sydney