NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) Varroa mite tracing and surveillance work has confirmed three new detections of Varroa mite in the Newcastle area, bringing the total number of infested premises to 62.
NSW DPI Deputy Chief Plant Protection Officer Chris Anderson said NSW DPI had issued a new emergency order to include the new sites but the overall area covered by the eradication zones had not changed significantly.
“Tracing and surveillance efforts have confirmed the presence of Varroa mite in one property at Brandy Hill and two properties at Phoenix Park,” he said.
“The new infested hives fall within an existing eradication (red) zones but will expand the current eradication zone slightly to the west and so we have issued a new emergency order to reflect this change.
“The positive news is that so far all confirmed cases either have clear links to existing cases or are geographically related, so we continue to focus our efforts on eradication.”
Dr Anderson said industry and community support has been critical to the success of the response to date.
“I’d like to thank beekeepers for their ongoing surveillance efforts, and encourage everyone to keep up with surveillance no matter what zone your hives are in,” he said.
“There are new factsheets outlining how beekeepers in each of the zones can manage their hives and the restrictions that apply within each zone available from the NSW DPI website.
“Along with staff from Local Land Services, the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Parks and Wildlife Service, the NSW Environment Protection Authority, the apiary industry and horticulture industry, NSW DPI has made significant progress in reducing the risk of any further spread of Varroa mite.”
Australia is the only major honey producing country free from Varroa mite, the most serious pest of honeybees worldwide.
