Surveillance

New version of Biosecurity Manual for Beekeepers

07/03/2016 – 9:56 am Australia’s honey bees are some of the healthiest in the world, free from many pests and diseases found elsewhere. To help keep it that way, the manual that provides biosecurity advice to beekeepers has been updated and is now available. Over recent years the number of people taking up beekeeping has increased markedly in both […] Read more

Healthy bee population proves good for exports

03/11/2015 – 3:18 pm Australia’s first national survey of honey bee viruses has found we have one of the healthiest honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations in the world – a key step in re-establishing and maintaining export markets for breeding stock. The last survey was conducted almost 30 years ago and only in eastern Australia, and the significant gaps […] Read more

Hobby beekeepers benefit from new resource

25/02/2015 – 10:16 am Over recent years the number of beekeepers in Australia has increased markedly in both urban and regional areas. They now have access to a wealth of information about keeping bees and honey bee biosecurity with the release of the book the Australian Beekeeping Guide. This book was previously published under the title Beekeeping in 1991. […] Read more

BEEing smarter about border security

12/01/2015 – 3:49 pm Sneaking into Australia through northern ports just got harder for exotic bees and pests, with the installation of a network of 20 hives monitored by mobile phone cameras and sensors. The hives have been deployed as part of a national trial by the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program (NBPSP) in Brisbane, Gladstone, Weipa and Darwin […] Read more

Varroa jacobsoni – a new pest threat of honey bees

27/06/2014 – 5:12 am Varroa jacobsoni is a parasitic mite that has emerged as a serious pest of European honeybees (Apis mellifera) following a recent jump from its natural host, the Asian honeybee (Apis cerana). A recent report by CSIRO has shown for the first time this mite reproducing on European honey bees. Read more