NSW Department of Primary industries are narrowing in on the completion of euthanasia for managed hives across the Varroa mite eradication zone and are urging any beekeepers still to notify of hives to urgently contact NSW DPI.
Deputy Chief Plant Protection Officer Chris Anderson said DPI has completed euthanasia on more than 95% of the managed hives within the eradication zone, however there are some reports of managed hives within the zone still coming through.
“To be this close to the completion of the euthanasia phase of the response is a significant achievement that’s required an enormous effort, cooperation and collaboration between the response teams and the beekeepers in these areas. It has been a complex and difficult task for all involved and we appreciate the patience and understanding of beekeepers as we’ve worked through this difficult task”, he said.
“To ensure we can move ahead with the next phases of the response and ultimately achieve the goal of the Varroa mite response to fully eradicate the mite, it is critical we have certainty that we have eradicated all hives within the red zone. To achieve this, we need to know the hives exist and where they are.”
The Varroa mite eradication zone covers a 10km radius area around infected premises (IPs). Beekeepers within this zone, regardless of registration status must notify NSW DPI of the location of hives within the zone.
“Given the population density of some areas of the zone such as the Central Coast and Newcastle, the risk of the Varroa mite infestation spreading is higher than in less populated locations, so while a beekeeper may think their one or two hives aren’t a great risk, what we know about the how the Varroa mite can spread is that the risk cannot be underestimated”, Mr Anderson said.
“We are confident the majority of beekeepers, both registered and unregistered have reported hives While registered beekeepers would have provided details of hives and hive locations at the time of registration, beekeeping licences are current for two years and in many cases the initial data provided at the time of registration may no longer be current, such as number of hives and hive locations.
“This is why we have asked all beekeepers, both registered and unregistered in the eradication and surveillance zones to notify of current hives and locations via the Varroa mite – Beekeeper Notification form so that we can be acting on the most up to date data as possible. This is also the only way we can be aware of any unregistered hives.”
If you have bee hives located within the Varroa mite eradication or surveillance emergency zones please notify DPI of their location by calling 1800 084 881 or completing the form on this website: https://forms.bfs.dpi.nsw.gov.au/forms/9247
