Australia was the first continent that was free of the varroa mite that can reduce the number of bees in the area or cause death of viral illness, up until they were discovered in the hives of sentinel bees in Newcastle’s Port of Newcastle in NSW in the year 2000. The result was a whole year of “tireless” elimination efforts. But, Australia will cease attempts to eliminate a dangerous bee parasite.

The National Management Group (NMG) took the decision to concentrate its efforts on controlling the outbreak of varroa mite in this week, following the $132 million response to the outbreak saw the killing of 30,000 hives as a way of wiping away the mite.

“The change from an “eradication program’ to a “management program was halted due to the numerous elements that are preventing a potential elimination of bees of bee hives in Australia,” the NSW government stated in a statement this week. The NMG took the decision following a thorough review of factors like indications of illegal movement of beehives and non-compliance in testing, as well as the recent increase in new detecties.

Source: news.com.au