VBRN: the discussion continues
VAA Board endorses a time-limited scoping and consultation phase
By Mark Bichan, VAA Board member
In the last edition of the ABJ, I put forward the case for Victoria to take a more organised role in the longterm resilience of our honey bees. That article was intended to open a discussion, not announce a settled VAA position. Since then, the VAA Board has considered the concept and endorsed a defined next step.
On 10 August 2026, the Board authorised a time-limited Gate 1 scoping, establishment and consultation phase for the proposed Victorian Bee Resilience Network (VBRN), under VAA stewardship. This gives the Association authority to consult the industry, test the need and available capability, and work through the practical questions that would need to be answered before any ongoing network could be established.
It is equally important to be clear about what the decision does not do. The Board has not approved a finished operating network. It has not settled future governance, participation, funding, data, genetics, ownership, access or commercial arrangements. It does not establish a VAA queen-breeding business, and it is not an announcement that varroaresistant queens are available.
The detailed proposal will return to the Board at Gate 2 on 14 December 2026. At that point, the Board may approve, amend, narrow, defer or decide not to proceed. That decision will be informed by what we hear during consultation and by the due-diligence work now under way.
Why take the time to scope this properly? Varroa has changed the operating environment for Australian beekeeping, but genetic improvement cannot be treated as a quick fix. Monitoring, effective treatment, biosecurity, education and sound husbandry remain essential. Selection for resilience is a complementary, long-term pathway, measured across colonies, apiaries and generations.
Nor are we starting from a blank page. The scoping work draws on lessons from eastern and western Australian breeding efforts dating back to the 1980s, as well as Plan Bee, the National Honey Bee Breeding Strategy 2024-2029, the 2025 Queen Sector Analysis and discussions with beekeepers. Those efforts show that Australia has capable breeders, useful science and valuable genetics. They also show how easily momentum, knowledge and relationships can be weakened when a project ends, funding changes or key people move on.
The VBRN proposal asks whether Victoria needs a durable way to connect existing effort: queen breeders and producers, commercial, sideline and recreational beekeepers, clubs, researchers, assessment apiaries and technical partners. It would also test how Victorian activity could connect sensibly with AQBBA’s Australian VSH Collective and the wider national breeding effort.
That does not mean bringing all breeding under one organisation. Breeders should continue to breed and produce queens. Beekeepers should retain a practical role in assessing what works under their conditions. The possible value of a network lies in shared methods, training, coordination, records and continuity – the less glamorous parts of the work, but often the difference between a useful seasonal project and an enduring industry capability.
The consultation will therefore need to deal with practical questions, including what the VBRN should and should not do; how different parts of the industry could contribute; what safeguards are needed around genetics, data, intellectual property, access and conflicts of interest; and whether there is enough capability and support to justify continuing.
Not everyone needs to breed queens to have something useful to offer. Commercial operators may be able to assess colonies under production conditions. Clubs and recreational beekeepers may contribute observations, local knowledge, training support, apiary sites or carefully defined assessment work. Just as importantly, people may identify risks, gaps or reasons the proposal needs to change.
VAA members will shortly be invited to take part in the consultation. Please watch your inbox and the VAA’s social media channels for details. The invitation is to help test and shape the proposal – not to join a finished program.
The purpose of this phase is not to persuade the industry that the answer has already been decided. It is to find out whether the VBRN would be useful, what would make it credible and workable, and whether the VAA should continue beyond Gate 1. If you see value in the idea, have concerns about it or believe something important is missing, we need to hear from you.