Welcome to Bee Breeding New Zealand

Kāhui kaitiaki pī - Guardians of the Bees

We are dedicated to promoting the development and widespread adoption of Varroa resistance breeding techniques among beekeepers, queen producers and breeders throughout New Zealand. Our goal is to combine scientific knowledge with practical expertise, ensuring effective and accessible information for everyone in the apiculture industry.

Varroa Resistance Bee Breeding in New Zealand

The Bee Breeding New Zealand Group (BBNZG) is supporting the development of Varroa-resistant honey bees through collaboration, research, and practical breeding programmes.

Our focus is on building Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) into New Zealand bee populations — helping beekeepers reduce mite impact while maintaining strong, productive colonies.

We work with beekeepers, queen breeders, and researchers to:

  • Share knowledge and resources

  • Support breeding for resistance

  • Translate research into practical beekeeping

Learn more about the Varroa Resistance Programme

Proposed Goals:

  • We strive to bridge the gap between scientific research and practical application by communicating complex concepts in layman's terms for the benefit of all beekeepers, queen producers and breeders in New Zealand.

  • We evaluate and learn from successful breeding programs implemented in other countries, adapting relevant techniques to suit New Zealand's unique beekeeping context.

  • We establish communication channels with international practitioners to exchange knowledge, insights, and best practices.

  • We foster collaboration among beekeepers, queen producers and breeders as well as researchers throughout New Zealand while respecting the commercial sensitivity of their operations.

  • We aim to educate beekeepers on quality control measures to distinguish Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) from Hygienic (HYG) bees so that they can become informed consumers

  • We provide a forum for addressing potential concerns related to excess inbreeding and outbreeding, promoting the long-term health and genetic diversity of honey bee populations in New Zealand.

Join Us

We encourage all beekeepers, commercial beekeepers, queen breeders and researchers who are passionate about Varroa resistance breeding and the development of sustainable beekeeping practices to join this group of like-minded people. Together, we can use this platform as an important tool for information sharing, discussion groups and keeping up with the latest trends and research in New Zealand and overseas. This way we can develop an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy for Varroa in New Zealand.

Contact us to find out more

WHATS NEW

Discovering and measuring VSH in bee colonies:

As part of our commitment to public good knowledge sharing, we presented a technology transfer workshop at the ApiNZ Conference in Rotorua in June 2023 to over 50 attendees. Our workshop was designed to target beekeepers, queen producers and breeders. It provided hands-on training and covered basic protocols on Varroa resistance breeding based on our project Enhancing VSH for Improved Varroa Resistance in Bee Colonies. Read more here.