Bronwen Roy: Molecular screening reveals a wider geographic and host range for a novel stingless bee disease.

Our limited knowledge of stingless bee diseases is disconcerting in light of their growing importance in commercial pollination. The first description of a brood disease in stingless bees was only reported in 2017. This implicated Lysinibacillus sphaericus a common soil bacterium as the casual pathogen in Western Sydney in T. carbonaria and A. australis hives. However, the geographic and host ranges of the disease have yet to be investigated. In this study 50 healthy hives and 10 “sick” hives were tested for the bacterium using a species-specific qPCR. Key findings were that 1) L. sphaericus was only detected in “sick” hives (i.e. those exhibiting a sudden dumping of discoloured larvae, and with reduced foraging activity) and 2) sick hives were not restricted to Western Sydney, but also found in other sites in NSW and in Queensland. Additionally, the host range included an additional bee species, T. hockingsi. Analyses of L. sphaericus DNA sequences from infected larvae from all 10 sick hives suggest that the pathogen is a specific non-toxigenic strain of L. sphaericus. While the mechanism of transmission remains elusive, it appears that the bacterium does not form part of the normal commensal flora of stingless bees, and that the spread of the disease is probably introduced from external environmental sources.

Tim Heard: Conservation of Stingless bees

Keeping stingless bees is gaining popularity. Can we ensure that this movement has a positive impact on their conservation? Is it possible to utilize stingless bees sustainably? I first explore how stingless bees have recently travelled from obscurity to become ambassadors for nature. I show how popular they are becoming for recreation and education. I review the explosion of resources that have recently become available. This phenomenon is not confined to Australia but to many tropical parts of the world. I examine the conservation of stingless bees in the context of this increasing utilisation and disturbance. I address the following threats: 1) Harvesting of wild populations. 2) Destruction of colonies by land clearing. 3) Anthropogenic movements cause adverse genetic consequences for wild populations. 4) Spread of disease. 5) Competitive impacts on other species and 6) Loss of cryptic species. I conclude that there are areas that need to be better managed and monitored.

Tim Heard: Research developments in support of Stingless beekeeping

I review research activities that have supported the utilization of stingless bees. I review the research on taxonomy and systematics, which allows Australian researchers and beekeepers to identify their species. I introduce the extensive research in the effect of plant diversity on colony success. I also review natural enemies and our knowledge of their biology and impact. I discuss how stingless bee defend themselves against those enemies. The relationship between stingless bees and the cadaghi tree is now well understood and we now believe the resin of this plant is not a threat to the bees. Queenlessness can be a problem for keeping stingless bees, but our improved understanding of colony re-queening helps us to manage this issue. Fighting swarms which is the result of aggressive interactions between colonies of stingless bees, is now much better understood, and our ability to manage them is improved. We have measured the flight range which is crucial information for managing hives. The composition, microbiology and antimicrobial properties of the honey of stingless bees has been the target of a few studies which allows us to develop this product.

Adrian Dyer: See like a bee: think like a bee

With growing interest in how to best study plant-pollinator interactions it is of high value to understand how important pollinators like bees see their world, and how flowers have evolved signals to promote optimal forager visits. We will discuss how recent advances in photography enable the recording of flower UV, Blue and Green reflectances to map both the spatial and colour variability of signals. We will also show how innovative photographic techniques can be used to map the spatial resolution of flower shapes, and explain why foraging choices for flower visual signals are extremely difficult at distances greater than about half a metre. To solve the complexities of the limited resolution of the compound eye, we will finally discuss recent behavioural evidence that bees use cognitive-like solutions like counting to enable survival in a complex, changing environments.

Olivia Bernauer: Understanding apple and cherry pollinators: comparing pollinator effectiveness

Pollinators facilitate the reproduction of many flowering plants, including a variety of crop plants. Apples and cherries are two economically-valuable, pollinator-dependent crops grown in NSW, meaning that the successful production of apple and cherry fruits depends on help from pollinators. Many of these important pollinators are insects like beetles, flies, moths, and wild and managed bees. To preserve apple and cherry production into the future, it is important to understand this pollination relationship. Examining pollination effectiveness can help us to better understand how different pollinator species are interacting with crop flowers and influencing fruit production. Pollination effectiveness is the average amount of pollen deposited per visit to the flower combined with the pollinator visitation rate. To study pollination effectiveness a single-visit study was conducted, and pollinator specimens were collected directly from crop flowers to evaluate the quantity and identity of the loose pollen grains on their bodies. From the results of this research, we can start to evaluate the quality of different pollinator species visiting apple and cherry flowers.

Megan Halcroft: Australian Pollinator Week – Inspiring community awareness and participation

Community awareness of the importance of honey bees, for food security, has greatly increased over the past few years. However, many people are still unaware of the thousands of ‘other’ insect species that provide pollination services. These insects may help increase crop quality and yield, as honey bees do, but more importantly, they drive biodiversity. Native bees and insects have evolved with our native plants, and as such, are best adapted to perform their pollination services. By increasing public understanding of the importance of our tiny pollinators, we can help preserve and support existing insect populations. To help achieve this goal, in 2015 Australian Pollinator Week (APW) was created. The 2nd full week of November, during the Australian spring, is a time when schools, neighbours, retirement villages, garden clubs, landcare and bushcare groups can come together for APW. Not only can they learn about insect pollinators, they can actively support their natural populations. By participating in APW, and sharing our experiences, we can increase knowledge, participate in citizen science projects, create habitat, provide food resources and enhance our environment. As a group, it can be a lot of fun. Multiple resources have been developed to help inspire communities to participate. The “how to…” guides, colouring-in projects, videos and scripted presentations are available on the Australian Pollinator Week page at https://beesbusiness.com.au/pollweekmain.html

Nural Cokcetin: The bioactive properties of honey – using honey to kill superbugs and promote gut health

These talks will cover the antimicrobial properties of honey and its use as a topical treatment for wounds and skin infections, including those caused by antibiotic-resistant superbugs along with how honey works to kill these superbugs without them becoming resistant to the killing effects of the honey. It will also cover the buzz about Australian 'manuka' honey; and how honey acts as a 'prebiotic' food that can improve our gut health by changing the balance of bacteria living in our gut.

Scott Nacko: Cucurbit pollination & small hive beetle infestation in the stingless bee, Tetragonula carbonaria

We will discuss the first detailed case of small hive beetle infestation in a living Australian stingless bee hive that was transported and deployed for use in Cucurbit crop pollination. Out of nine studied hives, one hive became infested. All life stages of the small hive beetle, with the exception of eggs, were discovered inside the hive, which contained a total of 14 adult beetles and 133 beetle larvae. Events leading up to infestation, and future work to be done with cucurbit crops and stingless bees will be addressed.

Mark Hall: The life and times of native and managed bees: an art and science perspective

Bees capture our imagination more than most other insect groups. This is evident by their presence in art, literature, science and economics. We rely on them for our nutrition and we value them for their beauty. But we don’t actually know that much about them and their mysterious ways. In this presentation I am going to attempt to merge art and science, sharing some of my love and fascination with all bees (not just the humble honeybee) through poems and short stories. I will intersperse these with some important research we are conducting at Western Sydney University to understand their role in agricultural systems, in glasshouse food production and how we can ensure the health and survival of both managed and wild species’ within these human-dominated environments.