A Local Control Centre has been set up at Irymple in Sunraysia by Agriculture Victoria to ensure a safe almond pollination and to keep varroa mite out of the state’s beehives.
This would build on the extra biosecurity measures in place including the requirement for permits to allow entry, Victoria’s chief plant health officer Rosa Crnov said.
“Initially we will have over 40 staff based at our Irymple site, conducting surveillance for varroa mite at the almond pollination and ensuring compliance with permit requirements for the Sunraysia region,” Dr Crnov said.
“Victoria remains free of varroa mite and we are doing everything we can to keep it that way while enabling the almond pollination to proceed.
“No permits will be granted for movements by NSW beekeepers at this time. The situation in NSW is being monitored and will be reassessed if needed.
“We have also added extra conditions to permits granted to Queensland beekeepers, so they can travel through NSW.
"They will need to avoid high-risk zones, take the shortest route that is appropriate, keep stops to a minimum at agreed locations, and there will also be requirements for beekeepers to cover their loads.”
Trained members of Victoria’s beekeeping industry will play a key role in Agriculture Victoria’s surveillance activities at almond pollination.
Dr Crnov said initially there would be eight Victorian beekeepers who were trained and ready to help as part of Agriculture Victoria’s Beekeeper State Quarantine Response Team.
“The beekeepers work alongside authorised biosecurity officers in field teams to conduct in-hive surveillance, providing a crucial link between government and industry,” she said.
If beekeepers detect anything suspicious they must report it immediately to the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881. For more information, visit: agriculture.vic.gov.au/varroa
Varroa-targeting pesticide under development
As part of a $1.2 million initiative, scientists will create molecules that selectively bind to and interfere with the hormone receptors of varroa mite and fellow honey bee pest, small hive beetle, interfering with reproduction, development and behaviour.
The target receptors are absent from vertebrates, making the pesticide safe for other beneficial animals in the environment.
Hort Innovation chief executive Brett Fifield said horticulture production pesticides were a crucial aspect of sustainable agriculture and disease control, however, there was a pressing need for more environmentally-friendly pesticides that had selective action against ‘bad’ versus ‘good’ insects.
“The development of a commercial pesticide that is fatal to varroa mite and small hive beetle, but not honey bees, will lead to a worldwide market opportunity to export Australian-based technology,” Mr Fifield said.
“It will also offer a significant step toward protecting global agricultural systems that are reliant on honey bee pollination.”
Until recently, Australia was the last known inhabited continent in the world that was not permeated by varroa mite.
Varroa mites cause weakness in honey bee colonies by feeding on larvae and pupae. They can also live on adult honey bees, transmitting viruses.
Small hive beetles are a major pest in the warm and humid regions of the east coast of Australia, South Australia and northern Western Australia.
The larval stage causes damage to honeycomb, destroying brood and stored honey and pollen, resulting in honey fermentation and colonies becoming ‘slimed out’.
University of Sydney, La Trobe University and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute are also contributing to the five-year project.