Victoria's beekeepers brace for arrival of varroa mite

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 frontier".

Victoria's commercial beekeepers pollinate the majority of the state's intensive agricultural crops from almonds to cherries, apples and many other orchard or field grown horticultural crops.

Agriculture Victoria has placed 12 sentinel hives at six locations along the Murray River to detect the first incursions.

VAA president John van Weeghel told conference delegates all aspects of the beekeeping industry are engaged in the transition to a management industry plan.

"Australia is perhaps fortunate that we are the last major country to receive the mite," he said.

"So we are able to draw on the management experiences in New Zealand, the USA, the UK, and in many Scandinavian and European countries which have dealt and are still dealing with infestations of the mite, in many cases for over 20 years".

It is the experience that feral hives (those inhabiting large tree cavities) will be severely hit, as they have no management or natural response, when the mites arrive in Victoria, the conference was told.

"Feral bee hives provide a lot of pollination services for many farm enterprises and home gardens, so their loss to the mite, is likely to have significant impact," Mr van Weeghel said.

Victorian beekeepers are ready to respond with the use of various miticide products which are likely to become available for use immediately an outbreak is declared.

Mr van Weeghel said larger beekeepers, including many who operate more than a thousand hives for pollination and honey production, are expecting to lose significant numbers of their hives.

"Simply careful management with regular hive surveillance and to gain personal knowledge about the mite and its controls are the best solutions for beekeepers before its arrival in Victoria."

The conference heard several of Victoria's 300 large scale commercial beekeepers have made personal overseas trips in recent years to learn more about varroa management practices.