The deadly Varroa mite has been detected in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) at the Port of Newcastle, threatening the country’s population of European honey bees and the livelihoods of its beekeepers.
Biosecurity surveillance first detected the tiny and reddish-brown mite on June 22; however, hundreds of hives have been identified as infected and destroyed to stop the parasite’s spread.
“We have immediately launched an eradication plan which involved setting up a biosecurity zone, containing the infected hives and euthanising the bees,” NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders said in an NSW government release.
“Biosecurity is one of my top priorities, and beekeepers have been working with the Government through the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program to act as an early warning system,” Saunders said….