Bee Breeding NZ Group Workshops

Breeding Varroa-Resistant Bees — Practical Skills for New Zealand Beekeepers

Varroa continues to place enormous pressure on beekeeping operations across New Zealand. Around the world, beekeepers and researchers are demonstrating that genetic resistance to varroa can be identified and strengthened through selective breeding.

The Bee Breeding NZ Group is working to help New Zealand beekeepers understand and apply these breeding concepts in practical ways.

Through a national technology transfer platform, the group is helping beekeepers:

  • understand how varroa resistance is measured

  • learn what traits indicate genuine resistance

  • understand the inheritance of resistance traits

  • develop practical breeding strategies using open mating and instrumental insemination

  • learn how resistance can be discovered, maintained, amplified and disseminated within the New Zealand bee population.

Importantly, these breeding efforts must also retain the productive traits beekeepers depend on, including honey production, temperament, colony strength and overwintering ability.

These workshops will explain the roadmap for building varroa resistance in New Zealand bees, and how individual beekeepers can participate in that process.

What You Will Learn

The workshops are designed for practical beekeepers who want to understand the genetics and breeding strategies behind varroa resistance.

Topics include:

  • How varroa resistance is identified and measured in colonies

  • Understanding behaviours such as hygienic behaviour and mite reproduction suppression

  • What level of confidence breeders can expect when selecting resistant stock

  • How open mating influences breeding outcomes

  • The role of drone saturation and mating areas

  • When and why instrumental insemination is used in breeding programs

  • How breeding networks help increase resistance traits across the industry.

Whether you are already breeding queens or simply interested in selecting better colonies, these workshops will provide practical insight into the future of bee genetics in New Zealand.

Workshop Schedule

Full-day workshops will be held in the North and South Island in mid-June / July.

Locations will be confirmed based on registered interest.

Possible locations include:

  • Hamilton

  • Napier

  • Wellington

  • Christchurch

  • Dunedin

‍If sufficient interest is registered in a region, a workshop will be scheduled there.

‍Register Your Interest

If you would like to attend, please register your interest and indicate which location you would most likely attend.

Once workshop locations are confirmed, a $50 registration fee will secure your place. ‍

Help Build the Future of New Zealand Bee Genetics

The development of varroa-resistant bees will depend on many beekeepers observing, selecting, and breeding from the best colonies.

These workshops are an opportunity to understand the science, the breeding strategies, and the practical steps needed to move New Zealand toward more resilient honey bee populations.

Register your interest and be part of the conversation shaping the future of New Zealand beekeeping here. ‍