Varroa spread NSW Australia

Victorian authorities are establishing emergency biosecurity zones after the discovery of a parasite deadly to bees on the state's border with NSW, in the Sunraysia region.

New deadly bee pest detection near Griffith as concerns for food production grow

NSW authorities confirm the varroa destructor mite has been found at a new site in the Riverina as Victorian authorities establish emergency biosecurity zones to protect crop pollination.

www.abc.net.au

 

[yesbut]

They're well on the merry go round now. A large market about to open up for Bayer et al.

 

[Alastair]

Yes, looks like a slow creeping losing war.

I had thought at the beginning all hive movement had been banned, but seems this has not been the case. Had they come down hard at first and stopped all movement in the area and surroundings, they probably could have contained this.

I wonder if they took advice from places like NZ that have varroa experience, or just figured it out themselves. Allowing movement as it seems they have done has doomed this elimination program to almost certain failure.

 

[frazzledfozzle]

I feel sorry for the ozzy beekeepers
I think varroa will have a much worse effect on their hives than here because weak hives will succumb to the small hive beetle.
that small hive beetle is terrible I would rather have varroa.

 

[Teej]

Yes, looks like a slow creeping losing war.

I had thought at the beginning all hive movement had been banned, but seems this has not been the case. Had they come down hard at first and stopped all movement in the area and surroundings, they probably could have contained this.

I wonder if they took advice from places like NZ that have varroa experience, or just figured it out themselves. Allowing movement as it seems they have done has doomed this elimination program to almost certain failure.

As a commercial Kiwi beekeeper over here in Australia trying to fight the mite, yes DPI have had some of the top researchers and epidemiologist in the world teaching them about varroa. Unlike much of the world when the mite landed, Australia has had the chance to say that it's scientifically feasible to eradicate the mite.

14 months on and I think they have done an incredible job at slowing the spread of the mite. They have permit systems in place with extensive tracing back to apairies. Unfortunately, for Australian beekeepers, it has been the complacency of their own industry that has disappointed them, not DPI.

NSW has small hive beetle, mix that with their hot humid climate, where their winter days on average are 21°c, no brood breaks. The world is comparing them to other countries yet the only other places that have a similar climate and small hive beetle are getting 50 to 60 percent colony losses each season.

Yes, it may look like we are loosing a war, but we are giving it a bloody good go at it.

 

[frazzledfozzle]

@Teej yes I don’t envy you having to deal with small hive beetle and no brood break over winter is going to make beekeeping very difficult.

hopefully your mites aren’t already resistant to flumethrine or fluvalinate so that you can Use and get good kills from synthetics until beekeepers can get their heads around dealing with varroa.