Around one-third of the food produced in Australia relies on honey bee pollination. From almonds and apples to avocados, honey bees play a vital role in Australian agriculture, supporting the pollination and production of many of our favourite foods and ensuring a healthy, sustainable food supply.
Honey Bee & Pollination Honey bees are performing critical honey production and pollination roles against a backdrop of increasing stress, as fires, floods, drought and the resulting changes to flowering patterns leave colonies without access to adequate nutrition – yet nutritional support is on the way.
3 min read
HONEY BEE & POLLINATION / 01.10.25 Australian beekeepers are being urged to share their experiences in the 2025 COLOSS Survey, as the industry faces rising costs and labour demands from Varroa destructor (Varroa) management.
3 min read
HONEY BEE & POLLINATION / 06.06.25 Australia’s honey bee and pollination industry is at a turning point—and AgriFutures Australia is inviting beekeepers, bee breeders, researchers and industry stakeholders to help shape its future through the next Honey Bee & Pollination Program RD&E Plan.
2 min read
HONEY BEE & POLLINATION / 27.02.25 With just two weeks to go until the 2024 Australian Colony Loss survey closes, time is running out for beekeepers to let their industry know what the biggest issues facing them are. The data being collected are vital for industry and government to manage the many challenges faced by beekeepers.
3 min read
The small hive beetle (SHB) (Aethina tumida) poses a serious threat to the Australian honeybee industry, which is valued at $4.6 billion annually for its...
Publication / 3 Pages
This research investigates the potential use of organic waste as an alternative and sustainable approach to managing Varroa destructor. Current Varroa treatments rely heavily on...
Publication / 6 Pages
The Australian honey bee and pollination industry plays a vital role in Australian agriculture, contributing more than AU$4.6 billion annually to the economy through pollination...
Publication / 28 Pages
The Australian honey bee industry is a significant contributor to the Australian economy through the production of hive products, such as honey and beeswax and...
Publication / 82 Pages
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...
Publication / 16 Pages
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...
Publication / 17 Pages
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...
Publication / 2 Pages
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...
Publication / 39 Pages
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...
Publication / 12 Pages
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,...
Publication / 4 Pages
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...
Publication / 2 Pages
The 'Resilient beekeeping in the face of Varroa' aims to determine the best strategies to manage and control varroa in the Australian context, making projections about spread, and the likely effects on honeybee health and pollination services. The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC), in partnership with AgriFutures Australia, has released a series of factsheets aimed at safeguarding the honey bee industry against the threats posed by varroa mite. The factsheets summarise what is known and the best path forward in terms of biosecurity, treatment and management, breeding, honey bee health, viruses and pollination continuation.
Fact sheet / 24
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
September 2025 - June 2026
Australian National University
September 2024 - December 2025
Australian National University
September 2024 - January 2026
La Trobe University
September 2024 - May 2025
The University of Sydney
September 2024 - June 2025
La Trobe University
September 2024 - May 2025
The University of Sydney
September 2024 - June 2025
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
June 2024 - December 2025
RM Consulting Group Pty Ltd
March 2024 - June 2024
Agriteams Pty Ltd
March 2024 - October 2024
Australian Honey Bee Industry Council
March 2024 - May 2024
Australian Honey Bee Industry Council
March 2024 - May 2024
AgEconPlus Pty Ltd
July 2023 - May 2024
AgEconPlus Pty Ltd
June 2023 - October 2023
The University of Sydney
January 2023 - April 2024
AgEconPlus Pty Ltd
November 2022 - June 2023
AgEconPlus Pty Ltd
September 2022 - June 2023
Hot Tin Roof Communications Pty Ltd as Trustee for Hot Tin Roof Family Trust
March 2022 - May 2022
University of Western Australia
March 2022 - July 2025
The State of Victoria as represented by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) through Agriculture Victoria Research Divisio
February 2022 - January 2026
University of the Sunshine Coast
February 2022 - January 2023
(DPI) The Crown in right of the State of New South Wales acting through the Department of Primary Industries within Regional NSW
January 2022 - October 2024
Australian Honey Bee Industry Council
November 2021 - November 2022
Hive and Wellness Australia Pty Ltd
November 2021 - March 2023
Southern Cross University
July 2021 - October 2022
(DPI) The Crown in right of the State of New South Wales acting through the Department of Primary Industries within Regional NSW
October 2020 - October 2021
South Australian Apiarists’ Association
October 2020 - January 2021
Hive and Wellness Australia Pty Ltd
October 2020 - April 2021
(DPI) The Crown in right of the State of New South Wales acting through the Department of Primary Industries within Regional NSW
July 2020 - August 2023
AgEconPlus Pty Ltd
May 2020 - October 2020
The Crown in right of the State of NSW acting through the Department of Primary Industries
March 2019 - June 2019
The Practical Beekeeper
October 2018 - December 2018
Cox Inall Communications
July 2018 - May 2020
University Of Canberra
July 2018 - January 2021
AgEconPlus Pty Ltd
July 2018 - May 2019
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
July 2018 - January 2021
University of Technology, Sydney
July 2018 - April 2022
University of Western Australia
October 2016 - May 2020
University of New England
July 2016 - October 2019
AgEconPlus Pty Ltd
July 2016 - April 2017
AgEconPlus Pty Ltd
July 2016 - January 2017
Plant Health Australia Limited
April 2016 - July 2019
Bee Scientifics
September 2015 - February 2019
The University of Sydney
September 2015 - December 2016
The University of Sydney
September 2015 - April 2018
CSIRO
August 2015 - December 2017
The University of Melbourne
July 2015 - February 2018
Marcus Oldham College
June 2015 - July 2015
Cox Inall Communications
June 2015 - May 2018
GHD Pty Ltd
September 2014 - February 2015
University of Technology, Sydney
August 2014 - October 2019
Western Australian Agriculture Authority, a body corporate established under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007
May 2014 - March 2016
The University of Sydney
January 2014 - August 2014
The AgriFutures Honey Bee & Pollination Program invests in research that ensures a productive, sustainable and profitable beekeeping industry and secures the pollination of Australia’s horticultural and agricultural crops. The Program focuses on supporting the longevity of the honey bee and pollination industry in Australia with four priority areas:
The AgriFutures Honey Bee & Pollination Strategic RD&E Plan identifies and balances the research, development and extension priorities and outcomes to promote industry productivity, profitability and sustainability.
Download the AgriFutures Honey Bee & Pollination RD&E Plan 2020-25
The Australian honey bee and pollination industry operates under a statutory levy of 5.6 cents per kilogram of honey sold or used, across both domestic and export markets. The levy applies only to businesses producing more than 1,500 kg of honey annually, with 1.5 cents per kilogram directed to AgriFutures Australia to manage ongoing research, development and extension (RD&E) that strengthens the industry.
Levies are collected under the Primary Industries Levies and Charges Acts and can fund biosecurity, residue testing, marketing, and RD&E. For honey bees, AgriFutures Australia invests the RD&E levy in line with the industry’s Strategic Plan and receives Commonwealth matching funding (up to 50c per dollar of eligible expenditure), along with third-party contributions.
Find out more about your levy
View the Chicken Meat Annual Report Summary
We are committed to working closely with all those involved in the bee industry, including Advisory Panels and industry associations to identify research priorities and make Program investments which will have the greatest impact on the industry.
Learn about the AgriFutures Honey Bee & Pollination Advisory Panel
Visit Australian Honey Bee and Pollination Industry Council (AHBIC)
If you’re passionate about honey bee and pollination research or beekeeping industry in Australia, we’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re a beekeeper, researcher, or interested in being involved in the industry, reach out to the AgriFutures Honey Bee & Pollination Program.
For project-related inquires:
Luke Evans
Manager, Levied Industries – Honey Bee & Pollination Program
0486 366 804
Mia Lorber-Hughes
Coordinator, Levied Industries – Honey Bee & Pollination Program
0437 811 347
For industry and strategic issues and inquiries:
Amanda Olthof
Senior Manager, Levied & Emerging Industries – Honey Bee & Pollination Program
0499 384 037
Sign up to receive AgriFutures™ Program news, and keep up to date with the latest research, events and program activities.
By subscribing you acknowledge you have read the AgriFutures Australia privacy policy and consent to your personal information being collected, held, used and disclosed in the manner and for the purposes stated there.
