|
|
Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation |
This is the fourth issue of the R&D Newsletter and I am pleased to report it continues to be a popular part of our communications activities.
During the past few months seven R&D projects have been completed and reports for most have been or are in the process of being published. The highlights of many of these are reported on in the rest of this Newsletter.
The rest are listed in the new publications catalogue which has been released in time for annual state conferences. If you have not picked one up at the conferences please contact RIRDC and we will send you one. Alternatively you can view or print one from the web site.
The current R&D Advisory Committee’s term finishes at the end of June. A new Committee is in the process of being appointed.
RIRDC and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the current Committee for the excellent job they have done during the past three years. I would especially like to thank Rosemary Doherty who has devoted seven years to the Committee and has decided not to stand for another term. Rosemary has been valued member of the Committee and has done an excellent job, as I am sure you all will agree.
The past year has been very busy. The small hive beetle incursion has caused concern. We have been pleased to work with AHBIC, Animal Health Australia, Governments and research groups to develop an R&D activity to support effective management of this pest. The R&D program is funding several activities to support this – see the note below.
Finally, I would especially like to encourage everyone to provide us with feedback on how they see the program so that we can continue to improve the contribution it makes to the industry.
Small
Hive Beetle - US Study Report and R&D Projects started
The R&D Committee has
worked closely with AHBIC, Animal Health Australia, Governments and research
groups to identify and support several projects which will provide a research
basis for supporting effective management of the small hive beetle.
The first activity supported was a study trip to the US to assess the beetle’s impact there and what implications this experience may have for Australia. Doug Somerville has just completed a report on this study tour and we have fast tracked its printing to make it available for most annual state conferences. This report makes interesting reading and suggests that if management options are developed and adopted the impact may not be as severe as originally expected.
As with any significant pest there is no room for complacency but there is a basis for optimism.
In addition to the study tour the R&D Program is supporting research projects which are looking at the following management options: the potential for using temperature as a management tool; a thorough testing and evaluation of all possible chemical control treatments to assess their effectiveness and identify any potential problems; and assessments of ideas on small hive beetle traps.
These projects have just commenced and should start generating usable outcomes in the next few months through to next year.
there and what implications this experience may have for Australia. Doug Somerville has just completed a report on this study tour and we have fast tracked its printing to make
New
Research on Queen Bee Performance
A new report has been released
and a short report is being prepared outlining the results of research
by John Rhodes and Doug Somerville on factors effecting queen bee performance.
This has shown that beekeepers should consider increasing the catch age
of queens as this is likely to improve performance significantly.
The RIRDC report, Introduction and early performance of queen bees, is Publication No 03/049 and the free short report will be available in June as SR No 126.
Commercial Beekeeping in Australia – Latest Update
Fred Benecke has finalised the update of commercial beekeeping practices throughout Australia and the report has just been published. We believe that this report will be an important reference material for industry. Copies are available as RIRDC Publication No 03/037 and costs $21 including GST, postage and handling.
ABARE
Honey Industry Survey
Good reliable statistics
for the honey industry are not readily available.
The R&D Program worked closely with AHBIC to design and develop a survey which would provide updated statistics on many aspects of the industry. ABARE was approached to undertake the survey and this report has just been published. It provides up to date estimates of many aspects of the industry. This will provide an important base for AHBIC and others for developing effective policies for the industry.
Copies of the report are available as RIRDC Pub No 03/039, cost $21.
Honeys
with valuable properties for diabetics
Preliminary research has
shown that honey from some floral sources have a low glycemic index (GI).
This is potential good news for diabetics as until now it was thought that
all honeys had high GI’s. We are interacting with Diabetises Australia
to promote these results as is appropriate. The report from the project
is being finalised and will be available soon.
New
Projects to be funded in 2003/2004
The following projects (some
with further development) have been approved by RIRDC for commencement
in the 2003/2004 financial year:
Honeybee
Research Report
After discussions with AHBIC
and research groups we have decided to produce the Honeybee Research Report
(2003) earlier than in past years.
This report will now be available for distribution at State Conferences instead of in the past after this period. We hope that this will make them timelier.
If you do not pick up a copy at the conferences and would like one please contact Vicki Byrne.
Alternatively you can download a copy from the RIRDC web site.
(http://www.rirdc.gov.au/programs/hb.html)
Current R&D Advisory Committee
| Keith
McIlvride
Rosemary Doherty Michael Moncur Des Cannon Jeff Davis |
(02)
4681 8556
(02) 6372 1733 (02) 625f8 3388 (02) 6236 3294 (02) 6272 4152 |
|
