Australia: Keep the beez buzzing and alarm bells for anyone relying on pollination

The Bee Industry Council of WA (BICWA) is urging beekeepers across Western Australia to be vigilant about the devastating impact of the pest known as the Varroa destructor mite. The threat of Varroa destructor mite is on our doorstep, having been found in New South Wales in April 2022 and recently in Victoria. Beekeepers in WA will play a critical role - this applies to hobbyist and backyard beekeepers right through to commercial operations. We need the wider community to get behind our beekeepers acting as industry champions related to supporting bee health and wellbeing and beehive health, as the threat of the Varroa destructor mite is on our doorstep. Conducting a hive health check takes only a few minutes, submitting the results takes even less time. Results from the past two years of the Bee Pest Blitz, held annually in April were alarmingly low. In 2023, 11 per cent of the total number of registered beekeepers submitted their results. In 2024, only 9pc of registered ...