States preparing for varroa mite crossing bee borders

Since the first detection of the parasite in Newcastle, the mite has already travelled hundreds of kilometres, turning up in North West NSW in Narrabri and the Mid-North Coast near Bulahdelah.

Eradication zones have been established around infected premises, with all hives with a 10km radius being destroyed. But with each new discovery, concern is growing the parasite may jump across state borders.

All states have restricted the movement of bees and equipment from NSW, which already has a bee standstill order in place.

Victoria has checked all its sentinel hives in the past fortnight, while more than 600 beekeepers who live within 5km of Victorian ports have been mobilised to regularly check their hives. The state has also established an incident management team to address the threat.

"The team is looking at how we can support NSW, undertaking contingency planning in case there is a detection and eradication is needed in Victoria," the state's deputy chief plant health officer Stephen Dibley said.

"We are preparing for the upcoming pollination season and have been in regular contact with the apiary and almond industry groups."

Queensland Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said his state had experience fighting Varroa mite incursions, which broke out in Townsville in 2016, 2019 and 2020.

But those outbreaks were Varroa jacobsoni, which targeted exotic Asian honey bees, and the response to the Varroa destructor (which affects European honey bees) in NSW required a different approach.

"However, the bee expertise that has been generated to date will assist us going forward," Mr Furner said.

"We have good experience in surveillance methodology and that information is being fed into the national response."

Victorian Farmers Federation beekeeping branch head Peter McDonald said given the gravity of the situation, there was a "thirst for knowledge".

"It's just like COVID, everyone wants the latest information about where it is, because this has a real impact on what we do," Mr McDonald said.

"If this gets out, it will change our beekeeping world."

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In about two weeks, the mass migration of bees from Queensland and NSW to the almond plantations of Victoria is due to begin.

But with restrictions on bee movements through NSW, almond growers are "very, very nervous".

"A delay of a week [for pollination] might be alright, but even that would be pushing it," Mr McDonald said.

AgForce chief executive Michael Guerin said Queensland farmers were "alert but not alarmed".

"Growers are certainly not comfortable, but they are appreciative of the processes and structures we have in place," Mr Guerin said.

"We're preparing as best we can and doing it in advance in case of the worst case scenario, but the worry is that even with the best will in the world, these things might slip through."

Primary Producers South Australia chair Simon Maddocks said even though the closest infestation to the SA border was more than 800km away, the state's ag industry was "acutely watching NSW".

"We're not hearing panic stations just yet, but it's a moving situation," Mr Maddock said.

"From a broader perspective, this really demonstrates why we need stronger biosecurity systems in place at both a state and national level."

SA Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said the state's sentinel hives had been checked ahead of schedule in response to the NSW outbreak and no mites were detected.

I have held discussions with representatives of the honey and apiary industry and there is a keen awareness of the impact Varroa mite could have on pollination, particularly in the almond sector," Ms Scriven said.