In an attempt to protect the Australian Honey Industry from being infested with the honeybee mite plague, nearly ten million bees were exterminated. The outbreak of the varroa mite plague has affected the rest of the world and Australia is now the current country to be affected by it.
What is the Varroa Mite?
The varroa mite is a parasitic mite sized as small as sesame. They are external parasitic mites that prey on honeybees and cause varroosis. They reproduce and spread in honey bee colonies and hives leading to widespread damage to the honey industry.
They kill the honeybees by feeding and reproducing on larvae and pupae of the developing bees. This hinders the ability of bees to fly, produce honey, gather food, and perform essential livelihood functions for their survival often causing malformation and weakening as well. They are known to kill and weaken honeybee colonies and spread the virus voraciously throughout. The tiny brownish-red mites are often cited as the ‘a little vampire’ owing to their destructive effect on the bees.
This mite-induced plague is currently one of the largest threats to honeybees globally affecting over a billion honeybees across the world.
Spread of the Varroa Mite
Initially started in Asia, this parasitic varroa mite has spread to Europe, South America, North America, New Zealand, and now Australia. The first version of the varroa mite was discovered at a port located in Newcastle, Sydney late June. Since then it has spread to over 400 sites country-wide. This led to an eradication zone created within a six-mile radius of a sighting that serves as a testimony to the widespread effect of the plague in Australia. The Department of Primary Industries has established the biosecurity zone to control and eradicate the potential virus. The beekeepers within the fifty-kilometer radius are not allowed to move honeybees or honeybee hives. It is fair to say that colonies of honeybees have been put under lockdown to limit the outbreak and protect the remaining honeybees of the country especially the native species of bees from an invasion of the varroa virus.
The spread of the varroa parasite has led many beekeepers to believe that Australia’s future will have to reside with the mite for many years to come. However, Australia is said to be the only large honey-producing country where the varroa parasite is not endemic yet.
Effect of the Parasitic Mite on Australia
The Chief Plant Protecting Officer of NSW (New South Wales), Satendra Kumar proclaimed that the spread of the varroa mite plague in Australia would cost the honey industry almost $70 million dollars annually leading to a huge loss.
Nearly 18 million bees had been exterminated by the government with 600 hives consisting of 30,000 bees being destroyed according to reports by the Times. This was reported by the head of the Australian Honey Bee Industrial Council, Danny Le Feuvre.
Australia being one of the largest honey-producing countries was hardly hit by this disastrous effect. The owner of the Amber Drop Honey Farm, shared her disappointment at having to kill 40 of her hives and the honeybees in it as they were located in the eradication area. It also caused a severe economic impact on the beekeepers.
Honeybee keepers are being asked to not move hives or honeybee equipment in or out of the biosecurity or eradication zone as these mites are known to transport via beekeeping machinery like combs. Luckily, the mites have not yet fed on the endemic bees but the non-native species mostly used for industrial species have been the primary ones impacted by the varroa virus.
Australia which is currently battling a lot of issues such as floods, bushfires, and mouse plague is now stricken with the varroa virus and suffering from food security.
