Beekeepers will be used to try and track the deadly varroa mite as citizen science is called on in the fight against invasive species.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Two pilot programmes across NSW and the ACT will use information from backyard beekeepers and trial technology that uses environmental DNA.
In the same way as COVID-19 was swabbed and tracked, the bee technology tests will detect whether the varroa mite has entered a beehive.
Beekeepers will be able to use swabs and sensors to test the hives without hurting the bees.
"The ACT pilot will help us confirm whether the region continues to be free from varroa mite and help prepare the community for future spread to the region," the department of agriculture's Bronwen Jaggers said.
"The focus is now on slowing the spread as much as possible, and supporting beekeepers to keep their hives healthy," Ms Jaggers said.
The pilots are part of a broader program to be run by Australia's national science agency CSIRO in partnership with the department of agriculture, which will see a $55 million investment to strengthen biosecurity defences.
The initiative called Catalysing Australia's Biosecurity was launched on Tuesday at the ABARES conference in Canberra, and will include real-time biosecurity alerts.
The alert system will be run in partnership with the Atlas of Living Australia, which relies on citizen scientists to record plants and animals.
The system, which has been trialled over the past year, will notify government agencies and other interested stakeholders in real time when a threat is detected.
In the case of the varroa mite beekeepers could be used to report any instances of the deadly mite, with that information immediately sent to interested stakeholders.
"If someone had that varroa mite on their list we would have pinged them in an email alert," Erin Roger from the Atlas of Living Australia.
"There's always been a lot of talk about engaging the broader public in biosecurity, but I think until now, there's been kind of limited tangible ways that the public has been able to engage," she told AAP.
The system aims to boost Australia's biosecurity system which has come under threat in recent years with the arrival of the varroa mite and the spread of fire ants.
"We need to be able to adopt and include these technological innovations. It is critically important for our agricultural sector and our environment," Andy Sheppard CSIRO's research leader said.
"By getting people to work together at scale, we will reduce the incidence of emerging outbreaks," Mr Sheppard told the conference.
Australian Associated Press
