It's the tiny parasite that has beekeepers on edge, threatening to rip $70 million a year from Australia's honey industry, and still many questions remain.
Australia had been one of the few countries around the world to have kept the varroa mite out, and there is a long list of where these mites could have come from — Asia, Europe, North America, South America or New Zealand.
We know from early testing that the varroa mite that NSW is dealing with does not have any issues with chemical resistance to miticides used overseas."That means that the chemical applications that we would be using to control varroa in Australia would be effective at this point in time.NSW Apiarists' Association president Steve Fuller says early testing shows positive results.
NSW Apiarists Association head Steve Fuller says that gives some industry some confidence and miticide strips have been bulk ordered. "It's caught us a little bit unawares because we didn't have a great big stockpile because it has a [short] shelf life," he said.Mr Fuller said most beekeepers would be facing a $50-$80 a year price to have the strips in their hives — if varroa cannot be eradicated.
"The bees actually brush against the strips and that coats them with a miticide, then the mite comes into contact with it and the mite dies," he said.
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