Mite find: big threat to bees

TASMANIAN beekeepers are on high alert following a recent Varroa Mite discovery in Victoria. 

Tasmanian beekeepers and biosecurity are stepping up their vigilance after the Varroa mite, a serious pest threatening honeybees worldwide, was recently discovered in Victoria’s north-west. 

The detection of Varroa mite (Varroa jacobsoni and V. destructor) has prompted more hive inspections and information workshops across Tasmania to safeguard the island’s honey industry. 

In response to the threat, last year Biosecurity Tasmania imposed strict bee import restrictions which prevent beekeepers from purchasing queen bees from interstate.

Tasmanian Beekeeper Association president and owner of Australian Honey Products, 

Lindsey Bourke, highlighted the challenges those restrictions imposed on local beekeepers for this season. He said the restrictions affected their ability to maintain hive numbers. 

“I’ve had a few hundred beehives less this season because I just couldn’t get enough queens to maintain the number of hives,” Mr Bourke said. 

To address the gap left by the import ban, Mr Bourke says the team have been focusing much more on breeding their own queens realising the importance of not relying on the mainland for bees. 

“Each year in the past I would buy 1000 early queen bees from NSW because Tasmania is a bit later and cooler than the other states and it takes us a bit longer to breed our queens,” Mr Bourke said. 

This winter, he says they are creating more small hives, known as nukes, to accelerate queen production. 

Recently he took a whole lot of drone comb beehives to St Helens to breed more drones and next week is when grafting will begin. 

Mr Bourke says although this is something they have always done it has not been at this level. 

“We have to do this every year now because it’s one month too early for breeding queens in Tasmania.” 

Not being able to import bees means the pressure is on more to breed all of their own queens. 

“We can’t afford to rely on the mainland for imports. We’ve got to try really hard to keep it out of Tasmania and luckily biosecurity Tasmania are very active,” he said. 

“We’re already more vigilant than the rest of Australia in inspecting our brood.” 

Mr Bourke said Tasmanian beekeepers are known for their beehive inspections, conducting them 10 to 12 times a year compared to the national requirement of twice annually. 

“We have to do that to make sure that our beehives are very strong, we’ve only got a very short honey flow in Tasmania, unlike the rest of Australia we only go for two months.” 

In the next two weeks, starting in Launceston tomorrow, there will be a series of workshops for beekeepers across the state to stay informed about the mite and best practices for hive management. 

Despite the increased pressure on Tasmanian honey, Mr Bourke remains optimistic that strict biosecurity measures will keep the varroa mite at bay.