A group of scientists from Canada has been granted $7.3 million in funds to develop a breed of honeybees that could weather diseases and harsh winters.
The populations of honeybees continue to decline due to a variety of reasons. In Canada, these insects are usually imported from warm-climate places. The bees are not used to the cold Canadian weather, which has already taken its toll on the bees' survival.
During winter, approximately 25 percent of the bee populations succumb to the cold, pushing beekeepers to import more insects from the United States. As a result, the risk of bringing in bees struck by diseases becomes high.
"It is very clear that we have to develop innovative solutions for bee health because bee declines will have serious consequences for Canada's economy and food security," said Amro Zayed from York University.
Zayed said their group has recently demonstrated that the behavior of particular colonies may be predicted by understanding their genetic makeup. With this, experts may skip having to observe the species, saving lots of time and effort because the process may not be needed anymore in identifying if a bee colony is healthy or not.
The researchers will determine genome and protein markers to selectively breed 12 traits that are considered economically beneficial. The process will allow beekeepers to rapidly and cost-effectively develop healthy bees that are resistant to disease and are more productive because these can survive harsh winters in Canada.
The team also plans to devise an accurate and economical test to identify bees with Africanized genes, as importation of bees from other places cannot be eliminated completely.
The objective of the researchers is to guarantee that the new tools are practiced and made available to beekeepers at the end of the project.
Honeybees generate about 75 million pounds of honey every year. The insects also pollinate multiple vegetables, fruits, nuts and oil seeds. The work of honeybees contributes about $46 billion to the economy of Canada annually.
The research is anticipated to give precise economic benefits to Canada and to the beekeepers and members of the agricultural and food sectors with an amount of about $8 million to $150 million each year.
