Destructive Mite Threatens Hawaii Bees
Pastor Dale Morgan
Apr 26, 4:27 AM EDT
*Destructive Mite Threatens Hawaii Bees*
By TARA GODVIN
Associated Press Writer
HONOLULU (AP) -- A tiny mite that has devastated mainland honeybee
populations showed up in Honolulu hives for the first time this month
and has now been confirmed in bee colonies across Oahu.
The infestation by varroa mites has led the state to ask beekeepers to
restrict transport of bees around the islands. There are concerns it
could threaten the Big Island's thriving queen bee export industry,
which has so far tested free of the mites.
"This is going to be for us a nightmare," said Michael Kliks, head of
the Hawaii Beekeepers' Association and owner of Manoa Honey Co. "When I
saw that mite I knew exactly what it was. I knew exactly what it meant
and I fell to my knees and almost began to weep because it's
inexpressible what that sea change is for us in Hawaii."
The parasites are blamed for destroying more than half of some mainland
beekeepers' hives and wiping out most wild honeybees there.
Kliks discovered the mites April 6 on a pupa contained in an abandoned
hive he recovered from the Makiki section of Honolulu and immediately
notified state agriculture officials.
Since then the mites have been confirmed in hives in Waimanalo, Ewa,
Kunia, Kahaluu and Punaluu.
Hives are still being checked elsewhere on Oahu but it is too late to
hope to eradicate or even contain the infestation, Kliks said.
"The only thing we can try and do is keep the levels of infestation in
our managed colonies below what's called the threshold level ... so that
we can still produce honey. But keeping it at that level will certainly
require quite regular, heavy application of permitted pesticides," he said.
That may mean the end of certified organic honey production on the island.
The appearance of the mites could also hurt island crops that depend on
wild bees for pollination, such as coffee, macadamia nuts and pumpkins,
Kliks said.
Originally from Asia, varroa mites were first discovered in Wisconsin
and Florida in 1987. By the next year, the mites were found in 12 states
and have since spread throughout the continental U.S.
The pinhead-sized insects, which are spread through contact between
bees, feed off the blood of honeybee adults, larvae and pupae.
Bees cannot legally be imported into Hawaii, and officials do not know
how the mites made it to the state.
Beekeepers are being asked not to move their bees between islands or
even within the same island. Once authorities have confirmed where the
mites have spread, they can then work on a possible quarantine for bees
throughout the state, said Janelle Saneishi, spokeswoman for the state
Department of Agriculture.
"But you know a bee flies. So that's the wild card," she said.
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On the Net:
Hawaii Beekeepers' Association: http://www.hawaiibeekeepers.org/index.php
Hawaii Department of Agriculture: http://www.hawaii.gov/hdoa