Preserving Australia's healthy honeybees is the focus of CSIRO research rolling out in Canberra over the spring and summer.

Attaching the 2.2mm device requires opening a hive, holding down a bee and placing it on its back with a drop of superglue. It apparently does no harm.

The tiny tracker records bees' movements in and around hives exposed to stresses that could cause health problems, revealing which are leaving, how long they're away and whether they return.

Canberra-based CSIRO pollination researcher Dr Saul Cunningham said "bee health has a lot to do with the rate at which bees die while they are doing their work".

Interestingly though, Australia's bees are doing tremendously well by world standards.

There is a major bee population-decline in some countries, including America and New Zealand, largely due to parasites called Varroa Mites. They cause deformities, reduce lifespans and destroy hives.

"Because we operate our agriculture similarly to these countries, they have sent a warning about problems in Australia… so this is more about planning for the future than preventing Varroa from arriving," Dr Cunningham said.

The aim is for the insects to maintain health in spite of disease, similar to a human surviving the flu.

If the bug hits Australia and results in a loss of many bees, farmers will be hit the hardest as the price of pollinators will increase and the standard of work may degrade.

In turn, the cost and availability of pollination-dependent food (most fruits, vegetables and nuts) will be affected, according to Dr Cunningham.

But it's not all about preventing doom and gloom.

"What we know is there are lots of agricultural industries using pollination that could produce better food – and more efficiently – right now, by better understanding pollination," Dr Cunningham said.

"I actually think it's really good news for agriculture, that we can start to see these efficiencies for production and make food better."

While the initiative is global, research in Australia is crucial for two reasons.

Firstly, it is the only significant bee-keeping country in the world yet to have Varroa Mite, so observing healthy bees is rare and "special".

Secondly, the Australian technology has unique features that have not been developed in any other country.

It seems the rest of the world is bee-hind us on this one.