Australia: Victoria's beekeepers brace for arrival of varroa mite

Victoria's beekeepers are bracing for the arrival of the devastating varroa mite "within the next few months". The state's apiculture industry, worth more than $360 million in terms of honey and hive products plus pollination services, says it is resigned to extensive hive losses. The exotic pest is knocking on the state's door after being found in NSW in June 2022 and has already reached Balranald, about 30km from the Murray River. Mites kill significant numbers of bees by feasting on their body fat and breeding profusely in hives. Although there have been no detections yet outside of NSW the pest has been steadily moving south, the fight to stop its spread has been declared officially lost. The outbreak response has now moved to a management phase "to increase resilience and capacity to manage varroa mite within the Australian honey bee industry". Last week's Victorian Apiarist's Association three-day annual conference in Wonthaggi was called "Beekeeping with varroa - a new ...