A virulent disease of the negative varroa mite parasite has been confirmed for the first time in Victoria, unbiased weeks after Australia’s largest annual scamper of honey-bee hives started arriving in the say.
Bigger than 200,000 bee hives from in some unspecified time in the future of Australia’s east waft absorb in August been trucked into the Sunraysia plot — which covers north-west victoria and south-west NSW — to pollinate its almond and stonefruit plants earlier to spring.
Victorian Agriculture Minister Ros Spence confirmed the outbreak had been detected at Nangiloc, shut to Mildura, and fervent hives that had entered Victoria from NSW.
Bigger than 200,000 beehives absorb been moved into the Sunraysia plot from in some unspecified time in the future of Victoria, NSW and Queensland. (ABC Files: Else Kennedy)
“We’re managing the situation,” Ms Spence said.
“Agriculture Victoria is working with the affected beekeeper and others that are internal sight to minimise the spread and to recordsdata these administration actions going forward.”
Varroa mite is a parasite that kills honey-bee colonies and transmits viruses to its hosts.
Victorian agriculture minister Ros Spence says the outbreak is being managed. (AAP: Luis Ascui )
Its detection in Victoria marks the first time varroa has been stumbled on begin air of NSW since the pest was first detected in NSW in 2022.
Ms Spence said 12 Agriculture Victoria varroa pattern officers had been on the floor in northern Victoria to red meat up beekeepers following the detection, and a restriction had been lifted for beekeepers shopping chemical substances to eradicate the pest.
This year’s pollination season in Victoria is taking web site after NSW authorities gave up the fight to eradicate varroa mite in September and declared the pest endemic of their say.
Hives absorb been moved to the Sunraysia plot to pollinate almond and stonefruit plants. (Else Kennedy)
‘A matter of time’
Victorian Apiarists Association president John van Weeghel said the spread of the pest into Victoria had been inevitable.
“It was as sure as the sun rising the next day morning,” Mr van Weeghel said.
“It will probably be a matter of time now, confidently years, earlier than this will spread in some unspecified time in the future of Victoria,” he said.
In February, 26 commercial teams that rely on honey bees to pollinate their plants agreed to a national administration belief for the pest.
The federal authorities has allocated $100 million to fund 32 specialist workers to unhurried the spread of the pest.
Victorian Apiarists’ Association president John van Weeghel says the mite’s arrival in the say was inevitable. (Provided: John van Weeghel)
Mr van Weeghel said testing for varroa in Victoria would now “intensify greatly”.
Because the pest spread, he said Victorians might perhaps presumably presumably inquire of to stare feral populations of European honey bees die out, but native Australian bees wouldn’t be affected.
“That can be a profit for us … [the feral hives] is presumably no longer spreading illness anymore,” he said.
Mr van Weeghel said folk with yard fruit trees would in discovering the trees no longer pollinated by feral honey bees, and would want “managed beehives” to pollinate the trees.
