Events

  • How pollination will change if Varroa destructor mite hits Australia

    20/12/2016 – 3:21 pm Currently Australia has a high concentration of feral honey bee colonies – that is unmanaged hives in the wild—and these helpful insects pollinate many crops. But as overseas experience has shown, if there should be an incursion of the honey bee parasite Varroa destructor in Australia, this invader would kill off unmanaged hives, with the […] Read more
  • Varroa mite eradication team in it for the long haul

    02/12/2016 – 8:48 am The campaign to rid Townsville of varroa mites is now being funded nationally, with a dedicated locally-based varroa mite eradication team being established in Townsville. 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 […] Read more
  • More Asian honey bees detected in Townsville

    09/08/2016 – 11:13 am Biosecurity Queensland has not found any varroa mites on a new swarm of Asian honey bees which were collected at Hyde Park on Friday. Dr Ashley Bunce, Director, Varroa Mite Response said this detection came about thanks to a call from a member of the public. “It’s great that the Townsville community is being so […] Read more
  • Opening a hive

    Don’t just be a bee owner: be a bee keeper

    14/06/2016 – 1:00 pm Alan Wade was the first President of the Beekeeper’s Association of the ACT. He helped establish the club about 40 years ago, but the number of members has grown enormously in the last few years, because it’s become fashionable to keep bees. Alan says that honey bee biosecurity is all about bee condition. “You need […] Read more
  • New online tools to help industry BeeAware of biosecurity

    10/06/2016 – 9:18 am A smart phone application to help beekeepers identify pests in their hives is part of a suite of digital tools being developed to improve the biosecurity capability of the industry. The project will also see a review and re-design of the BeeAware website, an online biosecurity training course, and an annual survey of beekeepers conducted […] Read more