Australian researchers are delving into the secret life of bees in a quest to breed more resilient, productive and happy honey-makers.
The nation's first comprehensive honey bee genetic improvement program, Plan Bee, has delivered genetic tools to secure the future of beekeepers. With pollination supporting more than $12 billion in agricultural production in Australia annually, it's also a sweet development for over 60 Australian pollination-reliant crops, such as almonds, canola and zucchini.
Funded by the Australian Government's Rural R&D for Profit Program, Plan Bee supports the honey bee and pollination industry, one of AgriFutures Australia's levied industries.
The initiative was led by researchers at NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), the University of Sydney and the University of New England's Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU), with input from the bee industry and seed producers. It has now delivered:
- a national honey bee genetic database
- a breeding manual for beekeepers
- the country's first bee estimated breeding values (EBVs) for key honey bee traits like colony strength, aggression and disease resistance.
These tools put Australia's bee industry in a stronger position to breed bees which can adapt to emerging challenges, including resilience to environmental threats such as drought and bushfires, and diseases such as Varroa mite.
One of Plan Bee's lead researchers Elizabeth Frost - Technical Specialist, Bees, with NSW DPIRD - said the nation's bee industry turned to much larger animals for genetic solutions.
"Estimated breeding values are used by livestock production sectors - such as sheep, pigs, dairy and beef cattle - to identify important traits which can be selected for in breeding programs to accelerate genetic improvement," Mrs. Frost said.
"In the same way that Australian livestock producers use EBVs to select for profitable traits such as fertility, docility and productivity, bee breeders wanted to produce stronger, healthier and more productive queens."
During the five-year project, Plan Bee developed a national reference population with 50 breeder queens and 200 production colonies which had genetic links to commercial queen breeders across six states. These bees were used to develop and validate methods for genetic testing, to establish a robust genetic evaluation system.
"When we surveyed queen bee breeders and honey producers nationally, they told us the key traits they wanted to select for were honey production, temperament, colony strength, pollination and disease resistance," Mrs. Frost said.
"By quantifying the genetic merit of queens against these criteria, we can identify the best performing hives and queens which will increase desired production traits of future generations - delivering lasting economic and ecological benefits for the bee, honey, horticulture and broadacre cropping industries."
Genotypes from bee DNA and hive trait assessment records from the national database of honey bee data were analysed and managed by AGBU. Approximately 5,500 colonies are present in this database, with scores allocated for the EBVs for traits such as frames of bees (colony strength), aggression, and resistance to disease.
Breeding better bees
Bee reproduction is quite different to other livestock. Queen bees mate with many drones, before selectively fertilising eggs as she lays them to produce either female worker bees (which are fertilised) or male drones (unfertilised).
Traditionally, bee breeding in Australia has involved mass selection, but with the tools developed through Plan Bee, breeders can implement more modern breeding techniques to select the best queens who will pass on their preferred characteristics.
"Bee breeders now have the tools to transition from classic mass selection to more controlled mating, for more efficient and accurate genetic improvement," Mrs. Frost said.
"Bee breeders routinely produce thousands of queen bees for sale to other beekeepers, so genetically improved queens can give the entire beekeeping industry an edge."
As a result, beekeepers benefit from more viable and resilient colonies, honey producers have more productive hives, and the farmers who rely on hives to pollinate crops have security of service.
Disease management
Plan Bee began in 2020, before Varroa mite was first discovered in Australia, but the research has provided important insights which support breeding for pest and disease resistance in bees.
"We are ultimately striving for healthy, happy bees. This project has reinforced the importance of selective breeding for pest and disease traits, paired with unique hive and queen identifiers and standardised record keeping," Mrs. Frost said.
"Australian bee breeders have a diverse starting population which is the ideal starting point from which to select for traits which help the bees help themselves against Varroa."
Bee breeders can access training on how to use the manual, set breeding objectives and select using EBVs.
