Biography

Rae Butler has a passion for promoting and utilising bee science in everyday beekeeping. She started Runny Honey Company 30 years ago with 500 hives and amalgamated with Wai Ora Apiaries running 2500 honey production beehives in 2000. She has served as secretary to the Canterbury NBA and the Varroa Pest Management Strategy Group.

Since 2011, Rae has worked on queen raising and Instrumental Insemination (II) with breeding for varroa sensitive hygienic (VSH) trait. She originally worked with Plant and Food Research and Nelson Honey on the VSH trait. Since 2012, she travelled to the USA where she completed courses in II (with Sue Cobey at the University of California, Davis, Harry Laidlaw Honeybee Research Facility); worked with queen breeding experts in California; and visited scientists conducting research in varroa monitoring and queen breeding in 10 labs throughout USA, including the Bee Informed Partnership headquarters. In 2019/2020, Rae exchanged visits with scientists in the VSH breeding program at Aristas Bee Research, Netherlands.

In 2015, Rae set up a queen raising business, Bee Smart Breeding, specialising in VSH queens. She serves as an AP2 for AFB and Exotic Surveillance programs. Rae dedicates her time to working on technology transfer and organising the industry good NZ Mite Monitoring and Management program.