Varroa mite threatens Australian pollination as beehive initiative launches

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 17 Oct, 23:02 · Archive

A deadly parasite spreading across Australia threatens wild pollinator populations, prompting a crowdfunded initiative to build 1,000 managed hives.

The Varroa mite, a tiny parasite that arrived in Australia in 2022, threatens to devastate pollination-dependent industries across the country. It feeds on honey bees and carries fatal pathogens that can wipe out entire colonies if left untreated. The parasite has already spread across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

In South Australia's Adelaide Hills food bowl, wild bees are responsible for 75 to 95 per cent of pollination. Danielle Munn is launching a crowdfunded initiative to build 1,000 managed beehives across farms, with the aim of connecting beekeepers with growers and funding permanently managed hives at no extra cost to farmers. 'We're building a network on a larger scale which will allow us to keep some sort of stringent protocols in our biosecurity,' she said.

Management currently relies on chemical treatments, but Agriculture Victoria warns some mites are now resistant to all four permitted synthetic miticide treatments. The Wheen Bee Foundation estimates a 60 per cent decline in commercial beehives during the August pollination peak, creating a shortfall of 290,000 hives across four states. South Australian Apiarists' Association president Brenton Davis said the mite will have a huge impact on food production: 'There's more demand for the same amount of hives. There will definitely be some people that leave the industry.'

How it is being reported

• Beehive blitz may fill pollination gap as mite spreadsA severe shortage of bees has kicked off an initiative to build a thousand hives as a deadly parasite threatens to wipe out the wild pollinators.Perth Now · 17 Oct, 22:32
• Beehive blitz may fill pollination gap as mite spreadsA severe shortage of bees has kicked off an initiative to build a thousand hives as a deadly parasite threatens to wipe out the wild pollinators.The West Australian · 17 Oct, 22:32

In this story: Varroa mite · Danielle Munn · Adelaide Hills · South Australia · Brenton Davis · The Wheen Bee Foundation · Agriculture Victoria

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