News — varroa
New discovery threatens success of Australian varroa eradication campaign
Alarm bells are ringing in Australia’s honey industry following discovery of a varroa mite in a beehive at Gumble in the central west of NSW.
Gumble is at least 100 kilometres west from the epi-centre and main locus of Australia’s varroa infestation in and around Newcastle and on the central coast of NSW.
So the spread of varroa mite to Gumble, after more than a year of enormous effort by authorities and beekeepers to contain and eradicate the infestation, is deeply concerning.
There has now been a total of 190 separate varroa infestations confirmed since the outbreak was first discovered outside the Port of Newcastle in April last year.