Surveillance

How surveillance protects our bees

25/03/2019 – 11:45 am Surveillance for bee pests from overseas is essential to maintaining a healthy bee population in Australia and protecting our beekeeping industry. The National Bee Pest Surveillance Program (NBPSP) monitors for the presence of exotic bee pests and pest bees, as well as regionalised bee pests, across 32 sea and air ports. Dr Jenny Shanks, Bee […] Read more

Bee aware of foulbrood

25/09/2018 – 5:34 pm NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has declared American foulbrood (AFB) Awareness Month this October to help keep local bee hives healthy and productive. DPI plant biosecurity prevention and preparedness manager, Chris Anderson, urged beekeepers across the state to look for symptoms of AFB and take prompt action. “If there are signs of AFB, dark […] Read more

Update on bee biosecurity programs

19/09/2018 – 12:42 pm Bee Biosecurity Officers have been busy over the last few months, taking part in Exercise Bee Prepared, as well as compliance and surveillance operations, and going to industry meetings and field days. Encouraging beekeepers to follow best management practices for diseases like American foulbrood continues to be a major focus. The officers are also talking […] Read more

Port surveillance system targets exotic bee pests

17/07/2018 – 1:09 pm Australia has one of the strongest honey bee surveillance program in the world, with 170 closely monitored beehives at 32 ports across Australia providing an early warning system for exotic bee pests and diseases. In the wake of a recent varroa mite detection in an incoming ship to the Port of Melbourne there is a […] Read more

Help us stop varroa mite in its tracks

09/07/2018 – 4:07 pm Agriculture Victoria is urging anyone with unregistered or feral bee hives within a surveillance zone around the Port of Melbourne to contact them. The surveillance zone was established following a detection of varroa mite at the Port last week. Acting Chief Plant Health Officer Nigel Ainsworth said Agriculture Victoria is currently undertaking precautionary surveillance of […] Read more