Local beekeepers instructed not to disturb hives amid mite concerns

NSW beekeepers have been instructed to limit their interaction with their hives due to the parasitic Varroa mite being detected in bee populations around the Newcastle area this in recent weeks.

This has seen hundreds of hives destroyed, and eradication zones declared around the Port of Newcastle.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries is treating this outbreak particularly seriously as Varroa is known to infect "honey bees in every major beekeeping area of the world, except Australia".

Sue Carney, vice president of the Amateur Beekeeper's Association of Australia, said at the moment the outbreak was contained to the general Newcastle area, but local beekeepers needed to keep up with the advice that was being updated nearly every day.

"The situation at the moment covers the whole of the state in that you can't move your bees or your hives," she said.

"As a beekeeper, you can't go to your hive and do normal management tasks that you would normally do, and that includes extracting honey.

"However, any honey that's already been extracted and bottled up in containers, or is ready to bottle, that is fine.

"Basically Primary Industries doesn't want beekeepers going anywhere near their hives and increasing the risk of them spreading the mites."

The Bee Aware website states Varroa mites are agile and "move into hives quickly and transfer through contact between bees".

They are "tiny red-brown external parasites of honey bees" and "can feed and live on adult honey bees". However, "they mainly feed and reproduce on larvae and pupae in the developing brood, causing malformation and weakening of honey bees as well as transmitting numerous viruses".

Bee Aware states heavy mite infestations can cause "scattered brood, crippled and crawling honey bees, impaired flight performance, a lower rate of return to the colony after foraging, a reduced lifespan and a significantly reduce weight of worker bees".

As bees play a vital role in agriculture through pollination, it is vital the Varroa mites are exterminated before they spread throughout the state.

Ms Carney said beekeepers were still able to do some tasks during the restricted period.

"You can feed your bees, if they need to be fed, and you can open your hives to do inspections and see if there are any mites present," she said.

"These are emergency measures at this point.

"So beekeeper's in the area will be affected as they can't do their normal management tasks, especially if they move their hives around going into spring. That's on hold at the moment.

"The good thing is that it's winter and the bees are not terribly busy in winter. But going into the warmer months shortly, beekeepers would like to be preparing hives quite soon."

Ms Carney said it was too early to say how long the restrictions would be in place as the situation was still unfolding.

"Beekeepers are just keeping their fingers crossed that the authorities can get on top of the problem," she said.

"The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council hopes it will be a one or two week measure. They've described it as a circuit breaker which will give the authorities a window of opportunity to try and pinpoint exactly the extend and locations where Varroa may be present.

"If we can't eliminate it, then it will change the way beekeepers operate in this country and it will be more difficult to manage bees.

"We'll be monitoring the news each day as we wait and see how the situation unfolds."

Ms Carney encouraged everyone in the community to support their local beekeepers who have been doing it tough through inclement weather and now the Varroa mite, and to purchase locally-grown honey wherever possible.