VICTORIAN beekeepers have welcomed the decision to abandon eradication efforts of Varroa mite, which has been found in incursions in NSW since showing up on a property in Newcastle in June 2022.
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The spread of the parasite moved south in recent weeks, with incursions found on beehives near the NSW towns of Euroley and Balranald in the Riverina and Euston in the Sunraysia region earlier this month.
Vice president of the Victorian Apiarists Association and Maldon beekeeper, Lindsay Calloway, believed it was only a matter of time before it came to Victoria.
"Varroa could be here already, and if it's not here already, it will be here within months," he said.
"The Murray River is lined with beautiful red gums and black box trees, and the river often flowers beautifully and excretes beautiful red gum nectar and pollen.
"So, if the river has budded for this year, which I hear it is, it could be lined with tens of thousands of hives which could contain one or two billion bees that are integrating along the Murray.
He said it was the right decision by the National Management Group meeting involving industry and government bodies to contain, rather than eradicate, the parasite.
"There's no country in the world that has successfully eradicated Varroa mite, and I think that the Aussie spirit gave it a red hot go, but it was time to pull up stumps and accept that it's here to stay," he said.
"I commend all the volunteers, beekeepers and there has been many sacrifices in New South Wales, so my heart goes out to them."
The abandonment has meant the end of an era, according to Mr Calloway, as Australia was the last country to be free of Varroa mite due to stringent biosecurity measures.
He acknowledged some fear about the parasite in the beekeeping community, but there needed to be a "new dawn of living with Varroa," and beekeepers needed to look overseas for practical management methods.
Mr Calloway was also confident that enough information was already made available to recreational and commercial beekeepers about the parasite, and the industry needed to "rally together and support one another" to work through the impact the mite may have on Victorian crops.
"I think we're going to [need] systems and structures to be able to tend to our bees here a bit more and give them just that bit more love."
Camperdown beekeeper, Anna Carrucan, said optimistically it would have been "wonderful to eradicate" Varroa mite, but it was now beyond the amount of resources available to the industry.
"The extended effects on beekeeping operations and pollination, requirements for crops and food production is also coming into play," Dr Carrucan said.
She said beekeepers needed to keep in step with specific guidelines and stay informed, but containment will have some challenges ahead.
"It would be in everyone's interest if it can be suppressed and not just allowed to spread unchecked because there's going to be a very steep learning curve for many beekeepers in management techniques, as well as acquiring different products and treatments to deal with Varroa mite in hives.
"We don't want a stampede of people seeking products and treatments ... as the demand may outstrip supply.
"There's going to be a lot of communication, education and knowledge building in the beekeeping industry to successfully manage and support beehives in an environment where Varroa is a potential threat to hive well being."
Beekeepers still need to record any bee movements, regularly test bees for Varroa and follow the requirements of the Control Area Order and any permits they are under.
There remains a pause on processing permit applications for beekeepers from NSW, while applications for permits for movements from all other jurisdictions into Victoria will continue to be processed.
Victoria's chief plant health officer, Rosa Crnov, said the state remained free of Varroa mite, and the parasite management will ensure "our industries are prepared and supported for its arrival."
"The Transition to Management model will support business continuity minimising the impact of Varroa on our beekeepers and pollination-dependent industries," Dr Crnov said.
"Surveillance of Varroa and keeping track of the movement of bees and beekeeping equipment via our permit system will continue to help us maintain a Varroa-free status in Victoria while we work with industry to adapt to the new model."
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