The detection of varroa destructor in New South Wales has presented many dynamic challenges for our industry members in recent weeks.
The basis of our email today is to assist the QBA in identifying those beekeepers who currently have Queensland based hives, stranded in NSW and work on solutions to provide support to beekeepers in this concerning situation.
We've already received a number of calls from QBA members with hives stranded outside of Queensland, however we're now calling on others to come forward and make their own situation known to the QBA.
Although we've been advocating for measures to support beekeepers with stranded hives for some time, we're keen to build a more accurate profile of the true situation in order to better understand exactly where support is needed.
At the present time we are keen to hear from any QBA member who has Queensland based/registered hives stranded outside of the state. To be clear, this does not include beekeepers from Queensland who are currently providing pollination services in Victoria.
If you happen to have hives stranded outside of the state, we ask that you make contact with me (Jo Martin) as a matter of priority. I can be contacted via phone on 0498 000 496 or via email statesecretary@qbabees.org.au
It is our intention to collect data on the current location of hives, the total number of hives and the immediate needs for the colonies. We plan to use the data collected to:
- Understand the number of hives and beekeepers currently impacted.
- Understand where the hives are located in relation to current biosecurity zones.
- Understand the immediate support needed to sustain beekeeping operations.
- Work one on one with the beekeepers impacted to provide tailored/individual support.
All information provided will be treated as strictly confidentiality and with the greatest respect to privacy of personal information.
As a final note, if you happen to know of a beekeeper with hives stranded outside of the state, who isn't a member of the QBA, please point them in our direction for support.
Kind regards,
Jo Martin
