The NSW government has warned beekeepers across the state not to move or tamper with their hives after biosecurity surveillance detected Varroa mite in hives at the Port of Newcastle.
NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders says swift measures are being taken to contain the disease, which is the most serious pest for honey bees worldwide.
“We have immediately launched an eradication plan which involved setting up a biosecurity zone, containing the infected hives and euthanising the bees,” Saunders said in a statement today.
“Australia is the only major honey producing country free from Varroa mite and if it has the chance to establish here, it could cost the honey industry more than $70 million a year.”
The Biosecurity Zone covers an area within a 50 kilometre radius of the Port of Newcastle.
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