Honey Bee Genetic Improvement Program (Plan Bee)
Read the final report for the Plan Bee project
Publication
Plan Bee: The National Honeybee Genetic Improvement Program
Plan Bee resources
Fact sheet: What is Plan Bee?
This resource breaks down the goals of the national program, which is designed to boost the quality of Australia’s honey bee stocks through genetic improvement.
Publication
Plan Bee Breeding Manual
This manual has been developed in consultation with industry through surveys, interviews, and workshops.
Publication
Plan Bee Breeding Manual: Getting started with genetic selection
This guide has been produced to help queen breeders define their breeding objectives, record bee data, evaluate their colonies and share data with the Plan Bee Project Team.
Publication
2021 Plan Bee Survey
A 2021 survey of 109 Australian beekeepers was conducted to determine beekeeper attitudes and opinions surrounding genetic improvement of honey bees in Australia. The study asked beekeepers about their queen replacement strategies, what colony traits are most important to them and their perception of Plan Bee and genetic improvement.
Publication
Frequently asked questions
The National Honeybee Genetic Improvement Program aims to deliver benefits across multiple industries by creating a more profitable and sustainable beekeeping industry, improving crop pollination efficiency, and enabling industry expansion through enhanced pollination security.
The Program is being administered by AgriFutures Australia and is being delivered under the National Challenges and Opportunities focus area, as set out in the Strategic Plan 2022-2027.
Queen breeders, producers, beekeepers and growers across the country are collaborating with research teams funded by AgriFutures Australia to create a sustainable national honey bee genetic improvement program, using innovative breeding technologies to transform the performance of honey bees in Australia.
It will focus simultaneously on traits of importance to beekeepers, and of the horticulture and broadacre industries dependent on honey bee pollination.