Australian Native Bee Association AGM

The AGM will be held in conjunction with the monthly Brisbane branch meeting, on Sunday the 20th October 2024, 1pm AEST (Qld time). The Face to Face event will be held at Bulimba Community Centre, 1 Barramul St, Bulimba, QLD, and will also be available online. A link will be sent out prior to the meeting prior to the meeting.

All MC directors will resign from their office. Nominations will be voted on and a new MC will be elected during the AGM. Nominations have now closed for the seven positions on the MC. Below is a list of candidates, positions and those who nominated them.

The Annual Report from the president and annual financial report from the secretary will be nominated for approval.

Invited speaker presentation

Unlocking stingless bee propolis for a sustainable future

Dr Trong Tran: Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellow, University of the Sunshine Coast,

And Mariki Visser: CEO Native Beeings Pty Ltd.

Biography of the authors

Dr Trong Tran completed his PhD study at Griffith University and then obtained an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute in the USA. His previous research resulted in the discovery of several novel anticancer compounds from plant, marine and microbial organisms. After achieving the SIEF STEM+ Business Fellowship from the CSIRO, Dr Tran returned to Australia in 2017 and started working at the University of the Sunshine Coast. He currently leads a natural product chemistry group with a focus on the discovery of bioactive compounds from natural sources (plants, microorganisms, bee and aquacultural products) for food, pharmaceutical and agricultural applications. In 2024, he was awarded an Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship to study Australian stingless propolis.

Mariki and Francois Visser started their Australian native bee journey in 2016 by learning about the use of native bee propolis to make the mouthpiece of a digeridoo. They were immediately intrigued by the dark brown propolis, and their journey of discovering more about the native bee propolis industry started. Today, they manage 600 hives and export their propolis products to several countries. Through their business, Native Beeings, they will collaborate with Trong and UniSC as industry partners in the Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship.

Stingless bees incorporate plant resins to produce propolis for their nest constructions, trapping predators and protecting their colony from pathogens. Stingless bee propolis has been utilised in traditional medicine across many tropical countries, such as Mexico, Brazil, India, and Southeast Asia, as a remedy for enhancing human health and treating infectious diseases.

So far, research on stingless bee propolis has primarily focused on South American and Southeast Asian regions, leaving a knowledge gap regarding the chemical diversity and therapeutic potential of Australian stingless bee propolis. Our studies suggest that there are untapped opportunities for this product, which could provide supplementary income for Australian beekeepers and spark a new industry for food and health products. Our presentation will overview the chemistry and biological activities of propolis produced by stingless bees, update recent findings, and outline future research directions to promote the development of Australian stingless bee propolis.