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Bee Research and Extension Lab
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Our focus
Practical research for sustainable, productive and profitable honey and pollination industries
The majority of Australian crops rely on honey bee pollination. Healthy bees are critical for our food and nutrition security, which remains under threat from pests like Varroa destructor mite and our changing climate. Protecting pollinators is essential not only for agricultural productivity but also for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem health.
Southern Cross University’s Bee Research and Extension Lab is leading practical, outcome-driven research to strengthen the resilience, productivity, and profitability of Australia’s honey and pollination industries.
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Our projects and research focus on:
- Honey bee pests, diseases and biosecurity, including the development of affordable and effective beekeeping IPM strategies, with a focus on Varroa and Tropilaelaps mites
- Honey bee nutrition and health
- Pollination and bees' role in ecosystem sustainability and biodiversity
- Beekeeping technology and innovation
- Education, training and extension, including the delivery of practical, outcome-based programs and the dissemination of evidence-based best practice to industry
- Agribusiness development within the beekeeping sector
- Promoting social inclusion and diversity in apiculture
Research
Practical research for healthy bees and a profitable honey bee industry in Australia and the Pacific.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Addressing #1 No poverty, #5 Gender equality, #8 Decent work and economic growth, #15 Life on land & #17 Partnerships for the goals.
Bees For Sustainable Livelihoods
Enhancing welfare, profitability, and sustainability of smallholder beekeeping in the Indo-Pacific.
Latest News
Bee Lab takes flight at Southern Cross Uni
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Fiji buzzing as Pacific Beekeeping Congress takes flight
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The Conversation: Australia has officially given up on eradicating the Varroa mite. Now what?
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The Bee Doctor
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How do bees make honey?
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Without bees, our food supply will be significantly affected
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The Bee Team
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Dr Cooper Schouten
Director, Senior Research Fellow
Beekeeping, Biosecurity, Honey bee nutrition, Pollination, Sustainable agribusiness
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Anneliese Austin
PhD Candidate, Research Fellow
Beekeeping, Pacific agriculture, Gender equity and social inclusion, Market development, Poverty alleviation.
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Dr Isabella Lipi
Post Doctorate, Research Fellow
Genomics, Bioavailability and ecotoxicology, Animal welfare, Veterinary medicine, Beekeeping
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Pete Wilkins
Apiary Technician
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Jamison Brown
BSc Honours Student
Beekeeping, Honeybee nutrition, Medicinal honey, Varroa, Agronomy, Soil microbiology
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Pip Davenport
Project Officer
Prof Doug Somerville
Technical and strategic guidance on nutrition and bee health issues and advice on the development of extension materials.
Prof David Lloyd
Provides expertise and direction on the design and engagement of the beekeeping program.
Dr Diana Leemon
Leads various aspects of the Hort Innovations project focused on studying the effects of entomopathogenic fungi on Varroa destructor.
Dr Denis Anderson
Provides technical and strategic guidance on methods for managing Varroa destructor.
Salote Waqairatu-Waqainabete
ACIAR project leader - Bees For Sustainable Livelihoods Fiji
Ravnil Prasad
Master's by Research (Agriculture) - Bees For Sustainable Livelihoods Fiji
Nikheel Singh
Master's by Research (Agriculture) - Bees For Sustainable Livelihoods Fiji
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Work with us
Advancing Honey Bee Breeding for Varroa Tolerance and Productivity in Pacific Island Countries and Australia
The successful applicant will contribute to the development of a queen bee breeding program focusing on varroa tolerance by engaging with queen bee breeders and livestock geneticists and using tools, such as hygiene-eliciting brood semiochemicals for assaying honey bee colony resistance to varroa, hygienic testing, artificial insemination and genetic markers to identify varroa resistant stock within Australian honey bee populations. The candidate will also investigate genetic markers associated
Learn moreIntegrated Pest Management for Control of Varroa in Pacific Island Countries and Australia
The successful applicant will contribute to the development of sustainable Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies tailored to regional contexts, aiming to control and mitigate the impact of Varroa mites.
Current research and best practice on varroa mites are limited to temperate climates where honey bees have natural brood (pupating bees) breaks which reduces mite population growth. In other countries honey bee viruses, such as Deformed Wing Virus, also influence economic thresholds and IPM
- Investigating Seasonal Population Dynamics and Economic Thresholds of Varroa destructor in Subtropical Australia
- Developing and evaluating novel monitoring methods for Varroa destructor
- Optimizing organic acaricide control methods for Varroa destructor in subtropical Australia
- Quantifying the decline in pollination services due to loss of feral honey bees
- Enhancing pest and disease management strategies for Varroa and Tropilaelaps in Pacific Island countries
- Assessing the nutritional value of pollens crucial to the Australian honey bee industry
- Evaluating the impact and outcomes of the pacific labour mobility scheme
- Investigating regenerative beekeeping principles and practices
- Limitations to women’s involvement in beekeeping: a case study of Australian women in apiculture
- Investigating the impact of sugar composition and nutritional value on honey bee health
Reach out and tell us more about your projects
Contact usResources
Optimising beekeeping development programs: Case study
Factors influencing beekeepers income, productivity and welfare in developing countries
The role of honey hunting in supporting subsistence livelihoods in Sumbawa, Indonesia
An Overview of Rural Development and Small-Scale Beekeeping in Fiji
Improving the Effectiveness of Beekeeping Training: A Case Study of Beekeeping Instructors in Fiji
History of Beekeeping in Papua New Guinea
Barriers to Women’s Participation in Beekeeping in Papua New Guinea
Novel Approaches for Increasing Participation in the Honeybee Industries of the Pacific
Considerations and Factors Influencing the Success of Beekeeping Programs in Developing Countries
- Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
- Macquarie University
- University of Adelaide
- NSW Department of Primary Industries
- Australian Honey Bee Industry Council
- Beekeeping Industry Council of Western Australia
- New South Wales Apiarist Association
- Queensland Beekeepers Association
- Australian Queen Bee Breeders Association
- Crop Pollination Association of Australia
- The Coffee Industry Cooperation (PNG)
- National Department of Agriculture and Livestock (PNG)
- Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways (Fiji)
- Biosecurity Authority of Fiji
- Fiji Beekeepers Association
- Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Solomon Islands)
- The University of O'Higgins (Chile)
- University of the South Pacific
- World Wildlife Fund (Vietnam)