‘It’s inevitable’: Australian beekeepers brace for national spread of varroa mite
Written by Sandra Godwin from the Guardian
Varroa destructor mites were introduced to Australia two years ago and are expected to kill most wild European honeybees in the next five years
Two years after the exotic pest Varroa destructor was detected in sentinel hives at the Port of Newcastle and began spreading throughout New South Wales, beekeepers in other states are bracing for the pest’s inevitable arrival.
It’s not only commercial beekeepers in the firing line. An estimated 47,000 registered recreational beekeepers will be forced to decide whether they can continue their hobby.
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Written by Sandra Godwin from the Guardian
Varroa destructor mites were introduced to Australia two years ago and are expected to kill most wild European honeybees in the next five years
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Two years after the exotic pest Varroa destructor was detected in sentinel hives at the Port of Newcastle and began spreading throughout New South Wales, beekeepers in other states are bracing for the pest’s inevitable arrival.
It’s not only commercial beekeepers in the firing line. An estimated 47,000 registered recreational beekeepers will be forced to decide whether they can continue their hobby.
Sign up to receive Guardian Australia’s fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter
Continue reading...
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. Support the Guardian – it only takes a minute. Thank you.
