Locally developed swab test for bee-killing disease set to go global

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Gisborne researchers and beekeepers have developed a world-first method to save New Zealand’s honey industry millions of dollars and are working to export the technology worldwide.

A team at molecular research and diagnostics company dnature, led by technical director John Mackay, have published a swabbing test (called The Foster Method) to assist beekeepers in the early detection of the global disease American Foulbrood (AFB) which devastates  beehives.

AFB is an infectious, bacterial brood disease that weakens and kills honey bee colonies and has the potential to decimate beekeeper livelihoods.

The disease costs New Zealand beekeepers $23 million a year.

In New Zealand, under the 1993 Biosecurity Act, all bees and hiveware must be burned if the disease is detected.

However, other beehive issues can mask the signs of the disease, making visual detection difficult at particular times of the beekeeping year.

“Prior to Covid-19, the idea that we had of using swabs to run a beehive DNA test seemed completely left-field”, Mr Mackay said. “But, of course, since the pandemic, this idea makes complete sense.”

dnature general manager Belinda Mackay said: “Our test means the base hives can be swabbed and tested and any positives can be isolated and destroyed before spreading throughout an entire operation.”

The method and PCR (polymerase chair reaction) kit could be exported, something the company was working on, she said.

A PCR is a test that detects genetic material from a specific organism such as a virus.

dnature has been involved in PCR testing in the apiculture industry (among others) for over 10 years, including testing for AFB.

However, a barrier to this has been the need for beekeepers to lever open heavy beehives to inspect young bees and retrieve samples.

The dnature team hypothesised that while a sample from the hive entrance would be easier to use, they could detect sufficient levels of the bacteria just at the entrance.

dnature engaged a team of Tairāwhiti and national beekeepers (including Gisborne stalwart Barry Foster after whom the method is named) and once the method had been developed and refined,  the test  was contributed to a project being done by a Otago/Southland beekeeper group.

This process of ensuring the test accuracy by quantifying the levels of the bacteria versus the risk of disease occurred over a six- year period and was released commercially by dnature in 2021.

The method can detect the disease even before visual signs are apparent.

Since early reports of the team’s work, this swab methodology from hive entrances has been used to test for varroa during the recent incursion in Australia and for bee pathogens in the USA and other countries.

As described in a peer-reviewed international publication (Taylor & Francis Online) released earlier this month, it also shows great promise for detecting other biosecurity pests not present in New Zealand.

dnature’s work was partly funded by Trust Tairāwhiti, the Ministry for Primary Industries’  Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures, Central Otago export business Alpine Honey and NZ Honey Trust.