Pests

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

Wet summer could deliver multi-million dollar bee hive loss

30/04/2018 – 4:39 pm Apiarists are on high alert following a surge in small hive beetle populations due to dry spring conditions and a wet, humid end to summer. First detected in Australia in 2002, small hive beetle (SHB) is now the largest and leading apiary pest in warm, moist locations of eastern Australia. The pest feeds on bee […] Read more

New SA Bee Biosecurity Officer out and about

22/02/2018 – 11:12 am Biosecurity SA is reminding beekeepers to be on the lookout for American foulbrood (AFB), found in hives pollinating lucerne in the Tintinara area. Biosecurity SA’s new Bee Biosecurity Officer Teagan Alexander is working closely with apiarists in the region to ensure no further spread of the disease. Beekeepers and growers seeking further information on AFB […] Read more

Townsville residents asked to report unusual bee activity

07/12/2017 – 8:37 am Biosecurity Queensland is asking Townsville residents to keep reporting unusual bees and unmanaged bee colonies. Public assistance is an essential part of the hunt for varroa mite, which was first detected in an Asian honey bee nest at the Port of Townsville in June 2016. “We have had excellent support from local beekeepers and the […] Read more

Keepers urged to be on the lookout for deadly disease

19/10/2017 – 2:25 pm Beekeepers have been urged to look out for discoloured brood and dead larvae, both symptoms of NSW’s most serious brood disease of honey bees, American foulbrood (AFB). The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) today declared October as AFB Awareness Month – a month-long campaign dedicated to educating beekeepers across the state about the fatal and […] Read more