During the desperate struggle since June 2022 (That’s when the first infected family was found) More than 14,000 infected bee colonies in which this small parasite was discovered were destroyed. However, the government admitted on Wednesday last week that its $64 million plan to control Varroa had failed, so it told beekeepers to prepare to coexist with the parasite, the newspaper wrote. Phys.org.
They wrote in a statement:
“The recent increase in new discoveries has made it clear that Varroa mite infections are more widespread and have been around for longer than we initially thought.”
Australia was the last major beekeeping country to succeed in eliminating this pest.
saul Cunningham, According to an ecologist from the Australian National University, Varroa infection will also harm agricultural sectors that depend on pollination.
Native Australian bees have been shown to be resistant to Varroa mites. However, it currently has no importance in terms of honey production or agricultural pollination.
volker Herzig, The “final nail in the coffin” was a government decision to allow beekeepers to move their bee colonies across state lines to help with pollination, the University of the Sunshine Coast researcher said.
About 270,000 beehives are brought to Victoria each year to pollinate almond orchards – the annual migration is the “largest movement of animals” in Australia.
According to Herzig, Australia “now needs to find definitive solutions to managing our bee colonies”, something “most countries around the world” have been doing for years.
james Dorey, The Flinders University bee researcher said the government’s decision was “absolutely shocking”.
He pointed out, “The effects of this decision will be felt for decades to come in the way beekeepers manage their families or the way farmers manage the pollination process of their plants.” According to him
In the future, farmers will no longer be able to rely on passive pollination by wild honey bees.
