Tasmania’s largest bee pollinator is accelerating the adoption of new technology to safeguard hives from future disease outbreaks. The initiative includes the introduction of artificial insemination for queen bees, a measure aimed at preventing the spread of the destructive Varroa mite from interstate.
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00:00It takes a steady hand and delicate work to artificially inseminate these queen bees.
00:09We've all been trying to learn this AI process for the last week and a half, so it's been
00:15very intense, long hours.
00:18At Tasmanian Pollination a small team is working to future proof 6,000 bee colonies against
00:25disease, a move driven by the growing threat of Varroa mite.
00:30René van der Molen has travelled from the Netherlands to train local staff.
00:35We are using an insemination device and a camera and we already collected the semen
00:43this morning from the drones and we are inseminating the queens with about 8 microlitres each.
00:51The technique is helping fast track genetic improvements and with Varroa mite prompting
00:56strict bans on bringing in bees from mainland Australia it's become a necessity rather than
01:02an option.
01:03It is a big step for the company, brought on by not being able to buy in genetics from
01:09the mainland.
01:12We probably should have done this earlier but our hand is forced at the moment.
01:17The timing couldn't be more critical.
01:19The Varroa mite has spread through New South Wales and Victoria and it's creeping closer
01:24to Tasmania.
01:25Some people think it's not a matter of if it arrives but when and this breeding program
01:31could be Tasmania's best defence.
01:33If it arrives in Tasmania it's going to cost the business that I manage $300,000 annually.
01:42Building a resilient bee population one queen at a time.