
Community Engagement
Protecting Australian Honeybees
BeeForce is the first community engagement project run in Australia to complement current State and Federal Biosecurity initiatives aimed at protecting Australian honeybees from exotic pests.
The BeeForce community engagement pilot was designed by a team lead by Dr Sabine Perrone to test the involvement of urban hobbyists in a passive surveillance program for one of the most important threats to Australian honey bees: the Varroa mites.
The pilot has shown the potential to bridge the divide between government, industry and the community sectors. Most importantly, programs such as BeeForce increase community awareness, improve Australia’s preparedness for new pest incursions and invasions, speed up responses and mobilise community vigilance in early detection for a more effective pest detection and control.
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