Our next meeting will be hosted by the Brisbane branch. Attend in person or online. In person: All are welcome at Bulimba Community Centre, 1 Barramul St, Bulimba. Free for members, $5 for non-members. Online: a link will be sent to members a day before the event.

Title: Threats to Australian Stingless Bee Health – what we know and what we don’t

By Robert McDougall

Research Associate – Stingless Bee Health

Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

E: r.mcdougall@westernsydney.edu.au | https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/hie

Abstract: Knowledge is currently very limited regarding the pests and diseases that impact on stingless bees, an issue that will need to be addressed if this group is to play an expanded role as crop pollinators. This talk will provide a breakdown of the state of the scientific literature in this regard. Key knowledge gaps include what relationship many suspected pests have with hive collapse – are they a cause of hive loss or simply opportunists that appear when a hive is already on its way out? Similarly, the role of diseases is unclear; while the majority of common honeybee viruses have been found to be present in stingless bees, it is mostly uncertain as to whether these viruses cause symptoms in stingless bees or are merely present. Beekeeper knowledge is likely much more advanced than the scientific literature, and bridging this gap will be essential in helping to address threats to the health of stingless bees.

Biography: Robert’s background is as a researcher into the ecology of agricultural systems, having worked in Australia, the USA and Ireland on subjects such as Integrated Pest Management, toxicology of pests towards beneficial insects and how environmental features within and beyond farms impact on the flora, fauna and ultimate outputs of these systems. He currently works as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Western Sydney University, where he is researching threats to stingless bees from pests, diseases and pesticide use.