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Bees in ‘lockdown” to stop spread of deadly Varroa mite

in NSW
Lachlan Leeming and Kamahl Cogdon, June 30, 2022 7:00PM Print Article

Bee hives are in lockdown across NSW as the government tries to stop the spread of the Varroa mite, which could decimate our local bee populations and
cost the honey bee industry $70 million a year. Picture: iStock

ANIMALS Reading level: Green

A “bee lockdown” has been introduced to limit the movement of

hives around NSW after a deadly foreign parasite* was detected last
week.

The statewide emergency order, issued on June 26, bans the

movement of bees across NSW after the devastating Varroa mite was
detected in hives arriving at the Port of Newcastle, about 160km
north of Sydney.

A 10km quarantine* zone was immediately put around the port while
the hives were destroyed, before the NSW government stepped up
its response to include the entire state.

The emergency order came after contact tracing revealed a

beekeeper had used equipment from within the 10km quarantine
zone on a beekeeping property 450km away at Trangie.

This close up shows a Varroa mite on a bee. Picture: CSIRO

Southern Cross University bee expert Dr Cooper Schouten said the

domestic honey bee industry risked losing more than $70 million a
year if the Varroa mite became established in Australia, with major
impacts also on those who supply pollination services.

NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders described the detection

of the Varroa mite as “high stakes”, given Australia was one of the few
countries in the world not to have the parasite.

“The stage right now is to lock everything down and do the contact
tracing,” Mr Saunders said, urging beekeepers to “check your hives”
immediately for the mites.

“Whether you’re a hobbyist* or professional beekeeper, if you look at

your hives, you know if something isn’t right.”

Beekeeper Ben Grant, pictured with Madelyn, 9, and Emily, 7, says the detection of the Varroa mite in
NSW is a blow to the industry. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Illawarra-based bee farmer Ben Grant said the detection of the

parasite in NSW was a blow to the industry.

“It’s heavy news for us all, it has decimated* bees worldwide,” Mr

Grant said.

“It’s so detrimental* to bees and, after that, mankind of course.

“We’ve done such a good job to keep it out of the country.”

Mr Grant said he hoped some Australian ingenuity* would help

combat the parasite locally.

University of Sydney physical biochemist Dr Joel Mackay said his

team was working to develop insecticides* that would kill the Varroa
mite without harming bees.

“In this way, we are hoping to establish a more robust control

strategy for when the time comes that Varroa slips through our
defences, which have held up pretty well so far,” he said.

“Most insecticides are non-selective – they will kill many insects, not
just the ones you’re trying to target – so we are on a quest to change
that.”

Have you got plants in your home or school garden that

attract bees?
Yes 72 %

No 12 %

I'm not sure 16 %

1490 votes

GLOSSARY

parasite: an organism that lives on another living thing for survival

quarantine: isolate, keep away from others

hobbyist: someone who does a particular activity as a hobby, rather

than as a job

decimated: killed or destroyed a large number

detrimental: causing harm or damage

ingenuity: ability to think creatively about a situation or to solve

problems in a clever way

insecticides: substances used for killing insects

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QUICK QUIZ

1. The Varroa mite was detected in hives arriving at which port?

2. How big was the quarantine zone placed around the port?

3. Why did the NSW government step up its response and issue the
statewide emergency order?

4. How much money does the Australian honey bee industry risk
losing if the Varroa mite becomes established?

5. What is physical biochemist Dr Joel Mackay working on?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

Kids News
Bees in ‘lockdown’ to stop parasite spread

00:00 03:20

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Bee safe
What measures do you think beekeepers could take to help protect
their hives from Varroa mite? Use your ideas and information in the
story to write or create a step by step ‘Bee Safe’ guide.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity

Curriculum Links: English, Science

2. Extension
Farmer Ben Grant says in the story that the mite is “so detrimental to
bees and, after that, mankind of course”. Why would losing so many
bees be so harmful to humans? Write sentences explaining your
ideas and knowledge on this question.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity

Curriculum Links: English, Science

VCOP ACTIVITY
Lockdown the hive!
As the emergency siren in the hive sounds, the worker bees drop
their tools and fly straight into action. I hear someone yell, “This is not
a drill people, this is not a drill.”

The hive is going into lockdown! What’s going to happen next?

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