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As the proud owner of two beehives the news varroa mite has been detected in port hives in the NSW Hunter region city of Newcastle has me worried.
With just two hives, my partner and I are the definition of amateur beekeepers. But we're fond of our little hardworking insects, and do our best to keep them healthy and safe. Stopping the spread of varroa is just as much on our shoulders as it is the commercial players.
This news has alarm bells going off in our household and across the industry. I'm sure it's hard for non-beekeepers to understand the responsibility one can feel for a bee - but it's incredibly strong.
But this isn't just about beekeepers. If you think the livelihoods of Australia's bees doesn't impact you - think again.
The European honey bee (that's the bee the honey industry relies on) contributes around $100 million a year to the Australian economy. But they also contribute between an estimated $620 million to $1730m to the value of local agriculture via pollination services that improve crop yield and production.
So it's not just lovers of honey that will lose out if our bees are impacted by varroa - it's estimated pollination services would be reduced by 90 to 100 per cent which means crops such as almonds, apples and cherries would be impacted.
Each year more than 200,000 hives are required for the pollination of the Australian almond crop alone.
And if hives can't move around and do the pollination they normally do (at the moment there is a NSW-wide freeze on bee movements) - food prices will no doubt go up.
So what is this bug causing all the trouble? Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on honey bees, resulting in the collapse and death of European honey bee colonies across the globe.
So it's right the news it has been found on Aussie shores is striking fear into beekeepers - our continent was the last (aside from Antarctica) to be varroa free.
While it's distressing to hear that hives are being euthanised it's for the best - to hopefully stop this pest's march across our country and preserve the lives of millions more bees.
For now though, it's a nervous watch and wait for the whole industry as NSW beehives are locked down and the country waits to see if these measures contain the mite. Or if beekeeping here has changed forever.
Only time will tell.
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