Bee and varroa mite update
17th August 2022
BEE AND VARROA MITE UPDATE Just a quick update on the varroa mite outbreak which has had very significant impacts on local bee populations and associated industries. The Dept of Primary Industries (DPI) has today changed the emergency zones for a large part of the State, but not Lake Macquarie. The ‘yellow zone’ is now gone, and those areas have been added to the ‘blue zone’ which means that hives can again be moved around, business as usual in those areas. This is generally good news and a sign that the outbreak is being contained, but it does not change the current situation and restrictions over Lake Macquarie. As you can see on the map below, all hives from Awaba/Toronto north are being destroyed in the eradication zone, but the southern half of Lake Macquarie remains in the purple ‘surveillance zone’ and are so far free from varroa mite. Touching wood, all my own hives in the Morisset area remain in that zone so I’ve been incredibly lucky and mite-free so far. Varroa mite has now been detected in 97 areas (the red areas on the map) and that has sadly resulted in all hives being euthanised in those areas. But on a positive note, almost 2400 hives outside of those areas have now been sampled for varroa mite and returned a negative result, which is great news not just for the bees and the beekeepers but our State’s $21-billion primary industries sector. More information, maps and the latest update are available HERE.