Grant: Technology Access Centre

The Canadian honey and crop pollination industries continue to struggle with high bee mortality, declining habitat and floral resources, and continual pest and viral threats. The National Bee Diagnostic Centre Technology Access Centre (NBDC-TAC) is the only facility dedicated to improving bee health and providing innovative solutions to pollination challenges in Canada. We provide the support beekeepers and crop pollination managers need to mitigate pollination and honey shortfalls, through access to apicultural expertise and advanced molecular diagnostic facilities. In addition to improving honey bee health, the future of sustainable crop pollination hinges on improving the health of wild pollinators and alternative managed bee species, such as the alfalfa leafcutter bee. As such, we are expanding our mandate to improve the health of all bee species and foster resilience in agriculture through sustainable pollination systems. Building on ten years of success in honey bee research and service, the NBDC-TAC is adding a suite of services to monitor and improve native bee diversity and health. We are also leveraging our Next Generation DNA sequencing technology to develop eDNA and DNA metabarcoding services to analyse honey quality, and support biodiversity monitoring and conservation initiatives. In addition to expanding our scientific expertise and industry relationships to native pollinators, we are also expanding our services to benefit the Northern regenerative agricultural community. A renewed NBDC-TAC will enable our Centre to continue to provide high-quality research and innovation services to Canada’s managed and native bee communities, adapt our services to support sustainable agriculture, provide specialized training, and remain a key contributor and innovator in pollinator pathogens, epidemiology and ecology.