Could artificial insemination save our bees from varroa mite? 🐝💉

Happy World Bee day! A rather delicate artificial insemination procedure may hold the key to saving Australia's future bee populations from their biggest threat - the varroa mite.
As countries around the world scramble to stop bee populations from disappearing, the Australian bee industry is divided on how to best protect bees from the destructive parasite.
But it involves a controversial question that has split the industry: Should Australia be able to breed up varroa-mite tolerant bee colonies while risking bringing another harmful virus into the country?
Ron Clarke is one of just a handful of bee breeders who uses artificial insemination to breed up colonies in Australia.
It's delicate work under microscopic conditions, requiring tiny tools and a lot of patience but Mr Clarke is passionate about creating genetically superior bee colonies.
He is particularly interested in breeding up bees that would be tolerant to varroa mite.
The tiny mite is responsible for the collapse of many bee colonies world-wide but it hasn't arrived in Australia - yet.
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[@wildwanderingwoman1626]

What's funny is if beekeepers started raising local bees versus adopting bees in from other countries we wouldn't have the issues of the mite

[@wolffortenberry8729]

I completely agree!! I can’t finish watching this video. If people genuinely believe this is the answer and solution to the problem, they are gravely mistaken.

[@sacramentofoodforest]

Facts

[@wisemage0]

Sounds like this guy really wanted a horse but he couldn't afford one so he had to settle for bees.

[@ApiaryManager]

Perhaps so but they aren't as inclined to live in a beehive 😉

[@Prettyredflames]

Well I’ll be darned.....

[@AutodidactEngineer]

You shouldn't inbreed them!!

[@ApiaryManager]

What makes you think they were inbred? I saw no evidence for that in the video.

[@ZerDeyb]

This guy looks like Hugh Jackman and Robin william mix together

[@metrinstoefta1490]

anyone notice this guy looks and awful lot like Robin Williams?

[@beelifekh6662]

Can you name the bee sperm protection water?

[@NaMiYummy]

Can u inseminate a worker bee? Since they are able to lay eggs and if a queen is dead but you want to preserve the genetic line or at least enough for a worker bee to be able to be born

[@Tenchupikachu]

Only apis Capensis workers have spermatheca. Other subspecies don't, hence they cannot be inseminated.

[@user-od4qb3bq3v]

God👍👍