Territory Technique Helping To Fight Viral Bee Species

HELIUM and pheromones aren’t your typical tools for fighting a swarm of bees, but that’s how it’s done in the Top End. Australian Honeybee Industry Council executive director Trevor Weatherhead said the ‘drone trapping’ technique, developed in the Northern Territory 20 years ago by Glenn Bellis, was helping to trap and identify bee species in the area. “They have a balloon that the put up filled with helium, on that is a filter with queen bee pheromone on it, and that pheromone will attract any drone bees that are in the area,” he said. “If those drones are there we capture those drones, take them back for identification.” The honeybee council is trying to identify the Asian honeybee, which is the natural host for varroa mite — a virus that kills bees and their colonies, after a swarm was found at Karama in May. The council also seeks the bees through the rainbow bee eater, which regurgitates pellets, from which they can identify the bee species. The council is after public help to identify where the rainbow bee eaters roost, in their garden and houses.

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