Research Apiary
What is the Wheen Bee Foundation Research Apiary?
The Wheen Bee Foundation Research Apiary is located at North Richmond in the Hawkesbury region of New South Wales on the property that was once the home of the Foundation’s benefactor, Gretchen Wheen.
The Research Apiary is a resource available to researchers and organisations to study pests, diseases and other issues that affect bees. The findings improve our scientific understanding of bees and help tailor best practice management strategies to improve bee health and welfare.
The Research Apiary has 20 hives and allows researchers to test various management interventions in a practical field environment, under controlled conditions. In 2022, the Research Apiary was used by the University of Sydney who provided funding to equip fourteen of the hives with monitors.
Research Apiary Technical Advisory Committee
The Wheen Bee Foundation’s Research Apiary Technical Advisory Committee provides expert oversight and guidance for the Research Apiary. This voluntary committee ensures the Apiary operates effectively, safely and in alignment with its purpose as a research resource for honeybees and native bees in Australia.
Rowena Danks
Research Apiary Technical Advisory Committee Chair
Rowena Danks is the Programs Manager at the Wheen Bee Foundation. Rowena leads the Foundation’s important programs that raise awareness of the importance of bees and other insect pollinators. With a background in regenerative agriculture, biodiversity conservation and community engagement, she has led and delivered programs with farmers across Australia across livestock, cropping and horticultural landscapes. Her work has included close collaboration with industry organisations, conservation recovery programs and market‑based sustainability initiatives supporting regenerative and nature‑positive farming.
Dr Théotime Colin
Dr Théotime Colin is a postdoctoral researcher at Macquarie University. Théotime was trained as a beekeeper when he was in high school and has kept bees ever since. He studied biology in France before coming to Australia to complete his PhD at Macquarie University. Théotime has a broad interest in entomology and agriculture. His work focuses on understanding the long-term population dynamics of honey bee colonies under stress. He is an expert in hive monitoring methods, which he uses to understand the effect of pests, insecticides, heat and other stressors on honeybee colonies.
Dr Emily Remnant
Dr Emily Remnant is an Academic Fellow and Lecturer in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney. Her research investigates evolution in action, using genomics to explore how insects respond to strong selective pressures like parasites and pesticides. She is particularly interested in investigating novel ways to improve the health of beneficial insects like honey bees by examining host-parasite interactions, virus discovery and evolution and honey bee immune responses to viral disease.
Associate Professor Robert Spooner-Hart
Dr Robert Spooner-Hart is an Associate Professor of Applied Entomology at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment and the School for Science at Western Sydney University. Robert has more than 40 years’ experience in research and extension on Integrated Pest Management (IPM), biological control and ecosystem services in horticultural crops, with a major emphasis on pollination and pollinators. He has worked on numerous national and international projects, the latter mainly in Asia and Europe. He has supervised 28 PhD and 4 Masters students in IPM and pollination.
Research Apiary Manager
Kade Harrex
Kade has more than 20 years of beekeeping experience and a passion for bees, inspired by his grandfather who was his mentor growing up. Originally from Tasmania, Kade grew up on a farm learning first-hand the skills of beekeeping from his grandfather, who managed more than 1,000 hives. Kade then moved to Sydney to work in the horticulture industry as a landscaper, and brought his love of bees with him, managing 50 of his own hives.
Expression of Interest Form
Apply here to access the Wheen Bee Foundation Research Apiary for approved research projects supporting pollinator health and conservation.