The Queensland Beekeepers' Association warns the future could be 'catastrophic' for Australia's multi-billion-dollar honey industry unless all apiarists take part in a national biosecurity blitz.
"This is a significant call to action," Ms Martin said of the re-launch of the campaign in the battle against the world's worst honeybee parasite.Apiarists estimated it was worth more than $20 billion, taking honey production, crop pollination services, and medicinal and cosmetic products into account.
First detected in the Port of Newcastle's sentinel hives in June, new infestations of varroa destructor mite were uncovered last month in NSW's Hunter, Central Coast and Mid North Coast regions."We had the same problem about guys not wanting to report their findings," NSW Apiarists' Association president Steve Fuller said of the initial response in his state."The last time I heard, we were up [to] about 85-86,000 hives [under] surveillance ...
"We're very concerned, it's our livelihood and if it [varroa] gets right across the country, it's going to change beekeeping," Mr Keim said.Of the more than 9,000 beekeepers and over 160,000 hives registered, fewer than 400 were commercial apiarists.Eradication still the aim "That will put all of our industry partners, our pollination partners in crisis mode," Ms Martin said.Ms Martin suspected that reporting fatigue developed during the COVID pandemic was also affecting varroa reporting rates.
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