Tasmanian beekeepers who rely on imports of queen bees will now be left short after Biosecurity Tasmania enacted an emergency response in light of the outbreak of deadly pest varroa mite in New South Wales.
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Tasmania's Chief Plant Protection Officer this week signed a general biosecurity direction that prohibits the import of European honeybees including queen bees, along with apiary products (including equipment) into Tasmania.
An alert was sent out on Thursday regarding the new advice. However, existing import restrictions were already in place.
The direction will be in place for six months, unless it is revoked earlier and is a direct response to the varroa mite outbreak in NSW.
More than 15 million bees have been euthanised across 31 infected premises in NSW with authorities still confident they can contain the varroa mite.
Bees from 1533 hives have been destroyed between the NSW central and mid-north coasts as well as at Narrabri in the state's northwest.
Each hive contains anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 bees, which means between 15 million and 45 million bees have been euthanised in an attempt to control the parasite since it was first detected near the Port of Newcastle on June 22.
There was an estimated 315,100 bee hives in NSW before the mite was detected.
Tasmanian Honey Products director Lindsay Bourke said last week beekeepers had been preparing for the potential introduction the mite and any restrictions.
He said work was underway to breed all the queen bees they will need, but it's possible that this will lead to a shortfall, because typically they import about 1000 queen bees to support the demand for their products.
Most of their bees also come from NSW, which will no longer be the case.
Biosecurity Tasmania is aware of the impact this restriction will have on Tasmanian businesses for the upcoming season and it's working closely with the industry to ensure alternative options are explored.
- For more information contact Biosecurity Tasmania on 6165 3777 or biosecurity.tasmania@nre.tas.gov.au
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Caitlin Jarvis
I have worked in the Tasmanian digital/print media for 11 years, spanning two newsrooms. I have developed a keen interest in agricultural, development and education news, as well as issues-based long-form journalism. Contact me at caitlin.jarvis@examiner.com.au
I have worked in the Tasmanian digital/print media for 11 years, spanning two newsrooms. I have developed a keen interest in agricultural, development and education news, as well as issues-based long-form journalism. Contact me at caitlin.jarvis@examiner.com.au
