THE name varroa is one that likely lingered only in the heads of apiarists until this week. Now it poses a huge threat to an industry that many of us take for granted too often.
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The mite's arrival in the Port of Newcastle, detected by the NSW Department of Primary Industries, will cost Hunter hives and swarms dearly after the declaration of a six-month emergency biosecurity order on Sunday. An eradication zone spans 10 kilometres from the six sentinel hives and three private ones where the destructor mite has been found.
Concerningly, Plant Health Australia biosecurity research finds that the mite has never been successfully wiped out of a country where it has emerged. That is perhaps why Australia has remained unique.
Geography offers this nation a gift in terms of enforceable borders from biosecurity threats, as we saw during COVID-19's international travel bans. Anyone who has travelled is familiar with the airport alerts about introduced species and declaring anything of any danger. While routine, the importance of such checks is writ large in this costly breach. We are perhaps lucky that it is such an unusual occurence, but questions - perhaps unlikely to find definitive answers - must be asked about how the mite arrived in this country so any existing loopholes might be shut.
Plant Life Australia, writing before this outbreak, said the most recent method of introduction was "by accidentally introducing infected honey bees on ships or shipping containers."
Colony collapse is a major concern of the varrosis the mite inflicts. It is testament to how notorious the miniscule mites are that keepers, despite their sadness, are calling for more restrictive measures rather than leniency. Ultimately the effectiveness of the measures will be their truest test; a successful eradication will help Australia maintain an ecological advantage estimated to offer a $50 million annual boost.
It is undoubtedly a nervous time for beekeepers and anyone with a firm grasp on precisely how important bees are for natural ecosystems. Although precedents are scant, hopefully the early intervention's scale can prove effective. So far, the nightmare scenario has played out. The dream is ending it before it takes hold. What comes next will decide the fate of many beyond the hives.
