NOMIA BEE AUSTRALIA FOUNDATION LIMITED

Native bee pollination research and agricultural resilience in Coleambally, New South Wales

NOMIA BEE AUSTRALIA FOUNDATION LIMITED is developing a science-led program to investigate whether selected Australian native ground-nesting bees can support reliable crop pollination under Australian farming conditions. Established in 2024 and registered with the ACNC in 2024, the organisation is based in Coleambally, New South Wales. The program responds to the establishment of Varroa destructor in Australia and the resulting permanent biological and operating challenges for managed European honeybees. The organisation states that its work is intended to complement, not replace, existing honeybee pollination by testing a biologically distinct pollination pathway.

The Nomia native bee research program

The organisation is developing a five-year, staged research program to test whether native ground-nesting bees, particularly species from the family Halictidae, can provide measurable crop pollination. According to its published information, the program will build purpose-built nesting environments, year-round flowering feedstock, and controlled breeding areas. The organisation states that expansion between phases will depend on evidence from field trials, including bee survival, reproduction, flower visitation rates, and crop-yield comparisons against baseline data.

Mission and objectives

The organisation aims to build practical evidence about native bee pollination before any wider rollout is proposed. Its stated objectives include:

• Testing whether suitable native bee populations can be established and maintained in managed conditions
• Determining whether engineered nesting habitat can support stable breeding
• Measuring whether native bees can improve pollination performance in target crops
• Assessing whether the method can operate safely, consistently and at useful scale
• Publishing clear findings for scientific review and future policy decisions

Why the program focuses on native bees

The organisation notes that the Australian Government states that Varroa mite does not affect Australian native bees. Most Nomia species are solitary, nest in the ground, and build individual brood cells-a biology that differs from the colony brood system that Varroa uses in European honeybee hives. The organisation emphasises that biological incompatibility with Varroa does not prove agricultural value, and that field trials must demonstrate whether selected species can deliver useful and repeatable pollination outcomes.

Planned programme phases

According to its published program plan, the organisation intends to operate across three main phases. Phase 1 (Year 1) will focus on site preparation, controlled nesting and breeding areas, baseline native bee populations, and environmental monitoring. Phase 2 (Years 2 and 3) will test controlled population growth, multi-crop exposure trials, flower visitation measurements, and pollination effectiveness. Phase 3 (Years 4 and 5) is intended to include farm-scale validation, selected farm partnerships, interstate replication where appropriate, and cost-per-hectare assessment. The organisation states that each phase will include formal review gates and that expansion will proceed only where evidence supports it.

Measurable outcomes

The organisation reports that it will measure stable breeding populations, reliable seasonal survival, repeatable nesting behaviour, increased flower visitation, measurable pollination activity, improved crop outcomes, practical operating requirements, acceptable environmental risk, and credible cost estimates. Results are intended to be recorded in a form suitable for scientific review, grant reporting, and government assessment.

How to support the program

The organisation states that building native bee pollination evidence requires infrastructure, fieldwork, monitoring, and scientific review. Donations are accepted in Australian dollars only, and the organisation notes that the work is intended to operate as a continuing public-benefit program sustained over the long term.