Varroa mite eradication team in it for the long haul

The campaign to rid Townsville of varroa mites is now being funded nationally with a dedicated locally-based team taking over the running of the response.

Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Economic Development Bill Byrne said the establishment of the National Varroa Mite Eradication Program would ensure a continuing long-term effort to protect the bee keeping industry from these significant mite pests.

“When varroa mites were first detected at the Port of Townsville in June this year, Biosecurity Queensland implemented a movement control area to help prevent the spread of the mite,” he said.

“This area has since been extended to cover all of the Townsville City Council local government area.

“Since the initial detection, ten Asian honey bee nests and swarms have been destroyed and only a very small number of varroa mites were present in two of the destroyed nests.

“The response team recently detected new swarms of Asian honey bees in Castle Hill and Belgian Gardens. While they didn’t have varroa mites, it highlights the importance of Townsville residents remaining vigilant and reporting unusual bee activity.

“The team is continuing surveillance in these suburbs to find the source of these swarms and the public can play a vital role in this.

“Now that we have national cost-shared funding of $2.6 million, the National Varroa Mite Eradication Program will run for the next three years with two key staff leading, the current 32 people involved in the program.”

Minister Byrne said it had been a very effective response to date, and he thanked all involved for their efforts.

“I’d also like to thank the people of Townsville for their support,” he said.

“We have received more than 200 calls from the community and I urge everyone to remain vigilant and keep reporting bees to us, as we are still finding Asian honey bees in the Townsville area. The hotline number is 13 25 23.”

Varroa mites have the potential to significantly damage the Australian agricultural sector and the bee industry, disrupting honey production and pollination services.

For more information visit www.daf.qld.gov.au or to report suspicious bee activity call 13 25 23.

ENDS

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