Australia gears up to fight Honey Bee Diseases
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Australia gears up to fight Honey Bee Diseases*
17 Jun 2008 07:32:49 GMT
Source: Reuters
By James Grubel
CANBERRA, June 17 (Reuters) - Australia's honey bees, crucial to
worldwide food production, need more protection from foreign invaders
that could potentially wipe out their population, a parliamentary report
said on Tuesday.
Australia is a major supplier of queen and hive bees to North America,
Japan and the Middle East, cashing in on its standing as the only
country not to suffer from a deadly bee mite known as the varroa destructor.
But the varroa mite has been found in bees in neighbouring Papua New
Guinea and New Zealand, raising new fears it could soon breach
Australian borders.
"Scientists who have studied the progress of this pest believe that it
is only a matter of time before it arrives in Australia and devastates
the honey bee population," the report said, urging the government to
tighten border and quarantine controls.
"It might be an exaggeration to state 'no bees, no food', but the food
security and economic welfare of the entire community depend to a
considerable degree on the humble honey bee."
The mite has hit hives around the world with devastating effects on
pollination industries, and has been linked to the mystery Colony
Collapse Disorder across North America.
Australian Parliament's primary industries committee found bees add up
to A$6 billion ($5.7 billion) a year to the value of agriculture and
horticulture, and were crucial for 35 key crops as well as stock feeds
such as clover.
"Once you've got varroa, it would lead to the collapse of the bee
industry. It would simply wipe out bee colonies," bee keeper Lindsay
Bourke told Reuters.
"A third of everything we eat has to be pollinated or relies on
pollination. You won't eat a decent steak without bees."
Australia currently exports disease-free bees, particularly to the
United States where they are used to help pollinate the California
almond industry.
Exporter Paula Dewar, who sends about 8,000 queen bees a year to Canada,
the United States and Japan for up to $22 a bee, said Australian
apiarists were worried about imported bee disease.
"We are known for our good breeding stock, varieties and healthy bees,"
Dewar said.
Australia currently has a "sentinel" bee program where hives are set up
at key ports so authorities can spot any new disease.
The report urged the government to also set up new bait hives around the
ports to attract bees arriving by ship and to stop them from joining
domestic hives. ($1=A$1.06)
(Editing by Miral Fahmy)