Victoria bans bees from New South Wales over Varroa

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Victoria bans bees from New South Wales over Varroa

Victoria has banned the movement of all bees from New South Wales due to the outbreak of the varroa mite, which is threatening the nation's bees and agriculture industry.

Victoria will join South Australia in enforcing bee border bans in order to lower the risk of the destructive pest infesting the state.

The destruction of more than 600 hives across NSW has been ordered by officials as part of the effort to contain the spread of the foreign varroa destructor, which was first detected in Newcastle last week.

Victorian authorities put in place an order to prohibit bees from NSW entering the state, but authorities stressed there have been no detections of Varroa in Victoria and the measure was preventative.

Varroa mite is a serious threat to Australia's bee population and horticulture industries that rely on pollination, according to Victoria's Deputy Chief Plant Health Officer Stephen Dibley.

He said that no bees, hives or beekeeping equipment can be moved into Victoria from NSW without a permit.

Beekeepers should check their hives frequently for signs of a varroa mite and other exotic pests using the appropriate methods, including sugar shake and drone uncapping, he said.

Varroa mite was found in 2018 in the Port of Melbourne as part of port biosecurity surveillance but was able to be contained.