Australian Leafcutting Bee Project

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In Australia, the honeybee is used in alfalfa seed production. The honeybees, however, find other floral sources more attractive during the alfalfa bloom. In particular, Eucalypus is very attractive to honeybees. There have been several importations of the alfalfa leafcutting bee, beginning in 1987. IPS and Pioneer Hi-Bred has been working with CSIRO and AQIS to develop protocols to ensure that future importations are disease and parasite free. Addtionally, IPS is working with native Australian bees to find other potential crop pollinators.
IPS is also helping develop integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for alfalfa grown for seed in Australia