20 million bees were wiped out in Australia due to a varroosis outbreak
Honey
Australia
Published Sep 22, 2022
Tridge summary
Deadly bee mite invasion hits national queen bee breeding program
Original content
Australia's National Honeybee Genetics Program has suffered significant damage after an outbreak of varroosis wiped out some 20 million bees in the Hunter region of New South Wales. In the last two weeks alone, about 342 hives have been destroyed, each containing about 60,000 bees, according to the AAP portal. The varroa mite was discovered near the port of Newcastle in June, and at the same time emergency measures were introduced in New South Wales to try to prevent the spread of the parasite. Honey Bee Council CEO Danny Le Febvre called for a biosecurity levy on all shipping containers and large equipment imports, and in July the government announced an $18 million support package for affected beekeepers. Although the beehives at Tokal Agricultural College near Newcastle were found to be free of the deadly mite, the insects still had to be euthanized as they were in one of the varroosis eradication zones. Curator of the Australian honey bee genetics project Plan Bee, which has ...
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