Emergency order issued to beekeepers
27th June 2022
As many of you know, I love my bees and have a few hives around the local area, so news that the Varroa mite has found its way into the area via Newcastle port is extremely concerning. This incursion is a major biosecurity breach and presents very serious threats to bees, our beekeeping and agricultural industries and our environment both locally and nationally. At the moment, a biosecurity zone has been set up around Newcastle. This means that beekeepers within 50km of Newcastle cannot move or tamper with their hives. All hives within 10km of Newcastle are now being destroyed, and a statewide emergency order has been issued to control the movement of bees across NSW (many are moved around to pollenate crops). While I'm pretty angry that our biosecurity has been breached in Newcastle, we'll have to argue about that later as this is a very serious problem that needs to be controlled quickly. More information on the statewide emergency order HERE. More information for beekeepers is also available on 1800 084 881, and also at NSW Department of Primary Industries, Australian Honey Bee Industry Council and Local Land Services NSW