Pollen season: Steps taken to protect bees

By Darren Linton

Jul 18, 2022

Threatening the season: Varroa mite is a serious threat to Australia’s bee population Photo by Daneka Hill

Agriculture Victoria has taken steps to ensure almond pollination season goes ahead with permits to be issued to Victorian, Queensland and South Australian beekeepers allowing them to enter the Sunraysia region.

Beekeepers who were granted a permit would be required to inspect their hives before arriving at Victorian almond orchards to protect the state’s bees from varroa mite, which has been detected in NSW.

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The new detection at Wards River in the mid-North of NSW brought the total number of infested premises to 39 since varroa mite was first identified as part of routine surveillance at the Port of Newcastle on June 22.

Bees, hives, equipment and bee products from NSW were prohibited from entering Victoria.

Agriculture Victoria was reviewing the situation and would consider making amendments to the permit system as conditions change.

Victoria’s chief plant health officer Dr Rosa Crnov said the Sunraysia permit system had been extended to include South Australia and Queensland to ensure bees could be sourced for Victoria’s valuable almond pollination.

“We’re doing all we can to support Victoria’s almond producers and to keep Victoria free of varroa mite,” Dr Crnov said.

Varroa mite was a serious threat to Australia’s bee population and Victoria’s $524 million almond industry which relied on pollination.

The state’s almond producers, located in the Sunraysia region required between 150,000 and 200,000 hives to pollinate crops every August.