CSIRO leads global effort to save honey bees

An international collaboration of researchers, beekeepers, farmers, industry and technology companies, led by Australia’s own CSIRO, is aiming to better understand what is harming the health and pollination ability of honey bees.

Around 70% of what goes into our mouths relies on pollination — not only products like stone fruits and berries, but also beef. It is therefore particularly worrisome that Australia’s horticulture and agricultural industries are vulnerable to declines in honey bee populations, as they rely on unmanaged feral honey bees for much of their crop pollination.

“Our managed bee pollination services would be hard pressed to meet the extra demand required to replace the key role unmanaged honey bees play, so the outcome would likely be a drop in crop production and a rise in prices of popular food staples like fruit and veggies,” said CSIRO Pollination Researcher Dr Saul Cunningham.

With bee populations around the world in decline, researchers have launched the Global Initiative for Honey bee Health (GIHH). The GIHH partners with industry members Intel, Hitachi Chemical, Nissin Corporation and Vale, and brings together scientists from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Integral to this international research effort is the incorporation of micro-sensors, around a quarter of a centimetre in length, which are manually fitted to the backs of bees. These sensors work like a vehicle e-tag system, with strategically placed receivers identifying individual bees and recording their movements in and around bee hives.

 “The tiny technology allows researchers to analyse the effects of stress factors including disease, pesticides, air pollution, water contamination, diet and extreme weather on the movements of bees and their ability to pollinate,” said CSIRO Science Leader Professor Paulo de Souza.

“The sensors, working in partnership with Intel technology, operate in a similar way to an aeroplane’s black box flight recorder in that they provide us with vital information about what stress factors impact bee health.”

As bees are normally predictable creatures, changes in their behaviour indicate stress factors or a change in their environment. By modelling bee movement, researchers can help identify the causes of stress, as well as any disease or other biosecurity risks.

One stress factor that is yet to reach Australia is the devastating Varroa mite, which has wiped out bee colonies overseas at an alarming rate. Dr Cunningham noted, “This puts Australia in a good position to act as a control group for research on this major issue that could one day become our problem, too.”

The Varroa mite, seen here latched onto a bee pupae, is the most significant pest to honey bees around the world.

Professor de Souza concluded, “The time is now for a tightly focused, well-coordinated national and international effort, using the same shared technology and research protocols, to help solve the problems facing honey bees worldwide before it is too late.”

All images © CSIRO.

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