January 2026
NQI’s Future In Instrumental Insemination
By John Kennedy
In the US the Northern Queen Initiative (NQI) is seeking additional funding or sponsorship from individual beekeepers as they point out that ―strategic investment in queen breeding technology is vital for the future of sustainable beekeeping‖.
NQI points out that in North America honey bee colonies face mounting threats including pesticide exposure, and above all the relentless parasitism of varroa destructor, and habitat loss.
They say ―yet the majority of queens sold in the US are shipped from southern regions, bred under vastly different environmental pressures, and selected for commercial scale not long term survival‖.
In consequence they arrive with limited genetic diversity, poor adaptation to cold winters and a reliance on miticide treatments to survive varroa mites.
NQI is taking a new course to train beekeepers to raise locally adapted, mite-resistant queens to maintain a selected criteria for mite resistance, gentleness and overwintering success.
They add that to take this work to the next step and pursue its full potential they must cross the next stage into controlled mating.
This will be achieved by instrumental inseminations so that it is an ‖amplifier of success‖ by precisely pairing queens with selected drones, to eliminate genetic drift and preserve rare survivor lines.
Instrumental insemination requires specialised microscopes, precision tools and controlled environments.
To achieve this NQI is offering dollar for dollar matching support for beekeeper’s donations.
For further information on NQI see www.sbgmi.org
AgriFutures
Protecting Australia’s beekeeping future through smart traceability
Australia’s honey industry is at a critical juncture. With biosecurity threats like varroa mite, increasing export market demands and growing consumer interest in provenance, the need for comprehensive hive and honey traceability has never been greater.
About the project
Funded through the National Agricultural Traceability Grants Program and managed by AgriFutures Honey Bee & Pollination Program, this feasibility study is exploring how national beehive and honey traceability systems could enhance biosecurity, regulatory compliance, operational cost savings and industry resilience across the honey bee sector. Investment into the viability of such systems is key to addressing emerging threats from pests and diseases, while building confidence in Australian honey for domestic and international markets.
The project aims to assess the feasibility, costs and regulatory acceptance required for robust, fit-for-purpose traceability systems that could be rolled out nationally, benefiting commercial operators, supply chain partners and amateur/hobbyist beekeepers.
The study uses a triangulated approach; combining quantitative, qualitative and comparative international case study analysis to ensure insights are industry-driven and actionable.
We’re learning from international success stories – from New Zealand’s rapid mobile-first adoption to Quebec’s industry-led cooperative model while investigating the feasibility of a uniquely Australian solution. Through comprehensive stakeholder engagement, we will work to determine whether a national traceability system is practical, beneficial and supported by industry: from hobbyist beekeepers with a handful of hives to large commercial operations managing thousands.
Industry engagement is crucial
This project prioritises engagement across the industry, and will employ tailored interviews, national surveys and stakeholder workshops. Feedback from AgriFutures Honey Bee & Pollination Advisory Panel and oversight from a dedicated Steering Committee will ensure that findings are credible and widely supported.
Have Your Say
Your experience and insights are critical to getting this right. Whether you’re a commercial beekeeper, amateur enthusiast, processor, or industry partner, we want to hear from you.
Head to the Facebook page to find out more, participate in surveys and interviews and follow our progress as we develop recommendations for Australia’s beekeeping future.
Ultrasonic Pest Control To Protect Beehives
New technique uses ultrasonic signals that mimic bat calls to deter wax moths from beehives
ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
Bees, and other pollinator species, are dying. Between pesticides, the climate crisis, and habitat loss, bee colonies are becoming weaker, leaving them more vulnerable to parasites like the greater and lesser wax moths. Vulnerable bees have cascading effects on beekeepers and food security in the apiculture industry.
A team of researchers from the University of Strathclyde and Japan’s National Agriculture and Food Research Organization is exploiting the unusual hearing of wax moths to develop a sustainable and efficient pest control technique that does not harm bees.
Lara Díaz García, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Strathclyde, presented her findings as part of the Sixth Joint Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and Acoustical Society of Japan in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Wax moths take advantage of weakened bee colonies, tunneling through the hive and feeding on the honeycomb and bee eggs. Removing infestations is labor-intensive — beekeepers must remove individual frames affected by the infestation and catch any remaining wax moths with sticky traps.
These moths can hear sounds four octaves higher than a human can, and this ultrasonic hearing helps them avoid becoming tasty bat food and hear male moth calls. They tell these calls apart based on the timing of the signal and the loudness of the sound.
By analyzing which patterns of bat echolocation calls elicited a stronger neural response in the moths, the researchers determined the best ultrasonic deterrent. Because bees have no sense of hearing, this pest control mechanism does not harm them.
―The technique can be adapted to different moth species; it would require some work for tuning to the most sensitive range to their particular hearing, and then targeting that range, but once that initial part is done, the technique should be applicable to any other moth species capable of hearing — which is the majority of them,‖ said Díaz García.
The team also developed a simplified model of the lesser wax moth eardrum, capturing its essential features to explain its directional hearing. They hope to generalize their method for other moth species and to develop a commercial pest control device or acoustic sensors inspired by moth ears.
“Nature is truly impressive and inspiring for technological development,” said Díaz García. “It’s also great to contribute to a very tangible outcome of very real problems that we’re seeing due to the climate crisis.”