HONEY BEE RESEARCH

Using honey as a bioindicator and reservoir of eDNA to detect pathogens and explore floral diversity.

Honey holds immense potential as a bioindicator and reservoir of environmental DNA (eDNA). This innovative approach leverages honey’s unique properties to monitor ecosystem health and biodiversity. By analysing eDNA in honey, we can detect a wide range of pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi, encountered by bees during foraging. Utilising advanced molecular techniques such as single plex and multiplex PCR and RT-qPCR, we efficiently identify these pathogens from hive matrices. This method offers a non-invasive, efficient way to monitor the spread of diseases affecting both bees and plants. As part of the first Australian national surveillance study on bee pathogens using eDNA analysis, a collection of 135 honey samples were analysed to identify common bee pathogens. This research also delves into less-studied pathogens, such as trypanosomatids and opportunistic species, providing novel insights into their evolutionary history and potential impact on bee health. Furthermore, the innovative application of metabarcoding analysis for honey eDNA presents promising solutions for honey authentication and quality control, with significant implications for apiculture and environmental science.

PhD Student: Gopika Bhaski

Occurrence and distribution of antibiotic resistance of American Foulbrood across Australia.

Resistance to antibiotics, such as oxytetracycline, in Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American Foulbrood (AFB), has become widespread globally, with particularly high prevalence in the United States. Given this trend, our study aims to determine whether similar patterns of antibiotic resistance are emerging in Australia. This research focuses on identifying and characterizing antibiotic resistance among P. larvae strains across Australia, providing insights into the current status of AFB management in the country.

PhD Student: Olivia Ducommun-Dit-Verron

Development of Alternative Varroa Treatment

This project aims to alleviate the environmental challenges surrounding the management of medicinal plant waste produced via food and beverage manufacturing. Humulus lupulus. L (hops) a twinging plant of the Cannabaceae family is a crucial ingredient required for beer manufacturing and produces a significant quantity of waste by-product. Hops waste holds the potential to be repurposed as organic bio-pesticides and may target several high-priority pests of agriculture, particularly, Varroa mite a honeybee ectoparasite that most recently emerged in Australia. Varroa now poses the greatest threat towards honeybee health and the pollination services they provide towards one-third of Australia’s agricultural important crops, highlighting the need for novel and innovative management solutions.

PhD Student: Luke McKay

Development of a single shot vaccine for protection against American and European Foulbrood infections in honey bees.

This project aims to tackle two  major bacterial infections that have significant economic impacts on beekeeping, namely American Foulbrood (AFB) and European Foulbrood (EFB). There is no known cure for AFB and treating EFB with antibiotics poses concerns of resistance and chemical residues in honey. Recent progress in AFB treatment involves the development of an oral “vaccine” that provides 30-50% protection to new bee larvae through the process of trans-generational immune priming (TGIP). Despite this advancement the effectiveness of TGIP in honey bees remains controversial. This work aims to create an efficient single-shot vaccine for trans-generational immune priming using bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) obtained from the pathogenic bacteria. BEVs contain various cargo including nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids, that will activate the honey bee immune system and resolve the challenges encountered with existing honey bee immune priming vaccines.

PhD Student: Olivia Ducommun-Dit-Verron

• Ackerly, D, Tran, L & Beddoe, T. (2024). The development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay to detect American foulbrood in managed honey bee populations. Apidologie. 55. 38. 10.1007/s13592-024-01080-w

• Cameron, Timothy & Wiles, Danielle & Beddoe, Travis. (2021). Current Status of Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Technologies for the Detection of Honey Bee Pathogens. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 8. 10.3389/fvets.2021.659683.