- [Narrator] Australia is placed in a unique position
being one of the only commercial beekeeping countries
not having Varroa mite.
This hive in New Zealand is heavily infested with Varroa,
but we cannot see mites on any of the bees,
with the naked eye.
This is why it is important
to undertake exotic pest surveillance,
as it's the key to stopping Varroa,
will be finding it early.
Undertaking drone uncapping, alcohol wash, or sugar shake,
twice per year,
as outlined in,
the Australian Honey Bee Industry
Biosecurity Code of Practise,
will assist in protecting our industry.
If Varroa establishes, management practises will increase
and also cost of management.
These will have flow-on effects
to other industries that require pollination,
and finally, the consumer.
Currently, we are placed in a great position,
as our honey and wax is regarded as the purest in the world,
having no miticide contamination.
Hive products are much sought after in the export market
and this gives the beekeeper a better return,
and in turn, supports industries and communities.
Following is a short presentation
done with assistance of Hayley Pragert,
Bee Biosecurity Diagnostic and Surveillance Services,
New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries.
Rod Bourke and Mark Page,
New South Wales Department of Primary Industries,
Bee Biosecurity Officers.
- [Presenter] The scary thing is that
unless you're doing good surveillance,
you won't see the mites.
- [Hayley Pragert] You won't see them, nah.
You really got to be uncapping stuff
and doing sugar shakes or alcohol washes.
(bees buzzing)
- [Presenter 2] You can see the dark bee there too.
- [Hayley] Yeah, yep.
The virus affected bee.
(bees buzzing)
- [Presenter] Varroa on drone brood at pink eyes stage
are one of the easiest to spot.
Here we see three mature females
and a clear developing female.
- [Hayley] See the tiny little white guy there?
- [Presenter] Varroa do not look very agile,
but as we can see
they are quite capable of climbing around
on skin or materials
and using adult bees, not only as a food source,
utilising the fatty tissues, but using the bee
as a bus to vector between hives.
When the host hive is weakened and being robbed
by other colonies,
they climb aboard and very quickly disappear,
between the thorax and abdomen of the adult bee.
To be taken back to a new host hive.
As mites are incestuous,
it only takes one female Varroa mite
to enter a brood cell.
The first egg laid will be male
and all following eggs, female.
The male hatches
and mates with his sisters and the cycle begins.
- [Presenter] When Varroa feed on a bee larvae,
it can affect their development,
strength and lifespan of the adult bee
and even their ability to be able to fly.
Through their feeding, Varroa are a vector
of debilitating viruses,
such as deformed wing and paralysis virus.
So this impacts heavily on the health
and number of bees in affected colonies.
If the mite numbers within a colony are not controlled
then it very soon weakens a hive severely,
resulting in it becoming susceptible to robbing.
And as a result causes further mite spread.
If Varroa arrives in Australia
and is not contained or eradicated,
it will cause a major impact on our honeybee industry.
Only well manage colonies will survive
and other unmanaged hives
and feral colonies will eventually succumb
to the devastating effects of Varroa
and then play a major part in the mites further spread.
So let's remain vigilant,
keep an eye out for it
and try hard to keep it from our shores.
If you see something exotic or unusual
then please keep a sample, take good photos
and report it to the New South Wales DPI hotline
at 1800 084 881