Please find the latest update to the Biosecurity (Varroa Mite) Emergency Order 2022 (No.5) issued by the Deputy Chief Plant Protection Officer. 

Please find the new order attached below.

• Biosecurity Varroa Mite Emergency Order Number 5 - 02072022.pdf
  

I have also taken the liberty of attaching the updated varroa response map to the end of this email.

Please find the todays update from AHBIC attached below.

• AHBIC Varroa incursion update 5.pdf
  

Thank you for your efforts by supporting the QBA through the distribution of important industry updates.

Kind regards,

Jo Martin 

QBA State Secretary

Update from AHBIC  - 11am, 2nd July 2022.

A quick update. Surveillance has been ramping up in the zones around Newcastle. The good news is that there still has not been any new identifications without direct links to the initial commercial beekeeper.

Precautionary tracing and surveillance activities have commenced north of the Newcastle area focusing on direct contacts of the operation. So far initial survey work has resulted in NO detections which is great news. This work will continue over the weekend with the help of industry volunteers in the area.

AHBIC has heard all the concerns about burning gear unnecessarily and we are working hard with the incident management team to find a practical solution. I will keep you updated when a plan to save gear is put in place.

We have a large amount of miticide strips being airfreighted from New Zealand this weekend to ensure we have enough surveillance tools on the ground, with more enroute.

AHBIC has been attending the cross border working group with good progress being made towards a permit system to allow beekeepers to got to Almonds. This group will meet again this week and I will update you with further progress.

Please find the latest update to the Biosecurity (Varroa Mite) Emergency Order 2022 (No.4) issued by the Deputy Chief Plant Protection Officer. 

Please find the new order attached below.

• Biosecurity-Varroa-Mite-Emergency-Order-2022-No-4-30062022.pdf
  

I have also taken the liberty of adding the press release which accompanied the new order below. Please note this information has been taken directly from the NSW DPI website. I have also attached the map of the new zones to the bottom of this email. 

New emergency zones effective for Varroa mite

30 Jun 2022

NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) has established another emergency zone south of Newcastle in response to confirmed detections of Varroa mite.

Acting Chief Plant Protection Officer Chris Anderson said DPI had now established emergency zones around nine infested premises, including the new zone around a Calga property south of Newcastle which became effective today.

“DPI has put significant measures in place to arrest the spread of the threat and is being assisted by the apiary industry, Local Land Services (LLS), NSW Police, NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) and the wider community,” he said.

“Since Varroa mite was first identified at the Port of Newcastle last week, NSW DPI has been working with apiary industry bodies and stakeholders to ensure beekeepers are informed and empowered to be part of this critical response.

“So far many of the infested premises have been located very close together so the emergency zones covered largely the same areas but recent detections at Bulahdelah and Calga have expanded the area covered.”

No bees or beekeeping equipment can be moved anywhere in NSW, and no honey or honeycomb removed from hives. Hives must not be touched unless conducting surveillance for Varroa mite or at the direction of an NSW DPI officer.

Beekeepers within 50 km of infested premises must also notify NSW DPI of the location of all bees by calling the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline, 1800 084 881, visiting www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/varroa or emailing hive.location@emergency.dpi.nsw.gov.au.

Eradication plans include destruction of honeybee colonies within a 10 km eradication zone around infested sites and inspection of managed honeybee colonies within a 25 km surveillance zone. Feral honeybee hives will be eradicated from the eradiation and surveillance zones.

Beekeepers work side-by-side with government as part of Australia’s early warning system to detect exotic honeybee pests, the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program, which includes surveillance hives and catch boxes at strategic locations around our ports and airports.

More information is available from NSW DPI: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/varroa

Media contact: 02 6391 3686

Statement Ends. 

Thank you for your efforts today in sharing our updates through social media. Your continued support is assisting the QBA and Queensland Government to create awareness of the response program and promote greater awareness of the importance of a strong and healthy honey bee sector. 

Please see the today's update from AHBIC in relation to the response to the varroa destructor detection in Newcastle NSW. 

We will continue our efforts to keep members and contacts of the association well informed with the situation on the ground. 

• AHBIC Varroa incursion update 4.pdf
  

Earlier today, AHBIC communicated a call for assistance to the member bodies of AHBIC for additional volunteers to assist in the efforts on ground to support in the response to contain and eradicate varroa destructor. 

Whilst we appreciate there will be some additional questions around volunteer support, it is the intention of AHBIC to initiate the process of collecting expressions of interest, supporting the efforts to contain and eradicate the mite, and providing much needed relief to the response team currently on the ground who've endured a long week already. 

In addition to AHBIC's request we'd like to remind members that on Friday last week (24/06/2022), following on from the announcement made at the QBA state conference of the detection of the mite, our management team put out a call to action for any members wishing to make an expression of interest (EOI) to join the 'Queensland Response Team'. 

We've now compiled the list of individual beekeepers who are ready to respond and represent the QBA Response Team.  but are keen to explore if there is anyone else who'd like to assist the QBA and the national response efforts.

• In order to have your name added to the QBA Response list, you must be a current/paid financial member of the QBA. This is for insurance purposes only. 

• If you would like to add your name to the list, please email biosecurity@qbabees.org.au with your full name, email address and mobile contact number. 

The QBA Management team plan to retain this list of interested beekeepers should the need arise to stand up our own state response team. 

Finally, we'd like to express our sincere thanks to those members who've already made an EOI at the conference. Please note you may be contacted in due course. 

Our thanks again to our members for their support in the national effort to stamp out varroa.

Kind regards,

Jo Martin 

QBA State Secretary

As advised in a recent email, I have been working behind the scenes to get a QBA portal up and running to support our members and industry colleagues, access on time and factual information directly relating to the detection of varroa destructor on the 22nd of June 2022 in the Port of Newcastle, NSW. 

We encourage you to visit this dedicated area of the QBA members website by clicking on the link below. We also strongly suggest you save the website to your favourites in the web browser of your preferred digital device.  All information will be updated to this portal for ease of access to all information. 

• QBA Varroa Mite Portal

Our management team have made the decision to make the portal available to the public in order to assist in communicating important messages to the broader beekeeping sector. 

The QBA management team is going to great lengths behind the scenes, working with the Queensland Government, AHBIC, the NSWAA to support the national effort to contain and eradicate varroa destructor, whilst protecting Queensland from the mite. 

We sincerely thank our members for their continued support of the QBA as the industry body for beekeeping in Queensland, protecting the interests and welfare of our members and greater industry.

We strongly encourage apiarists who are not already a member of the QBA to consider completing an application for membership by visiting our website application portal.

Click here to sign up as a QBA member and support the industry body who supports you.

Jo Martin, QBA State Secretary. 

In addition to our last email, the QBA is pleased to advise the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAF) have created a dedicated information engagement hub (E-hub) that will serve as a portal to support our industry through this next chapter as we collectively play our part to eradicate varroa destructor.

We strongly encourage all QBA members, clubs and broader beekeeping community colleagues to access the E-hub and complete a registration to use this purpose built portal. The portal provides all of the key information and updates in respect to the Queensland response efforts and the national efforts to eradicate varroa destructor from our shores.

To access the E-hub please use the following link:

• https://daf.engagementhub.com.au/varroa-mite

We require the continued support of our members, clubs and contacts to continue sharing our important updates with industry. Please feel free to share this email with anyone you believe would benefit from information contained within the portal.

Kind regards,

Jo Martin

QBA State Secretary

Movement Control Order to be issued to keep varroa mite out of Queensland

Published Today at 12:01 PM

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities
The Honourable Mark Furner

A Movement Control Order will be issued restricting the movement of bees, bee hives, bee products (including honey) and used bee keeping equipment from New South Wales into Queensland to keep Varroa destructor (varroa mite) out of the state.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said the order is being made following the recent detection of varroa mite in New South Wales.

“Biosecurity Queensland is taking this action to protect the state’s bee industry from varroa mites which pose a serious risk to honey production and pollination services,” Mr Furner said.

“New South Wales has taken swift action to restrict the spread of varroa mite, however if control measures fail and varroa mite enters Queensland, there are limited options for eradicating varroa mite.

“No effective natural enemies of varroa mite exist and I urge everyone with an interest in keeping varroa mite out of Queensland to make themselves familiar with the Movement Control Order.

Bees, hives, bee products and equipment can continue to be moved within Queensland. In NSW, there is a state-wide standstill of all bees, hives, apiary equipment and untreated bee products.

All beekeepers are encouraged to:

• Monitor their hives and immediately report unexpected hive deaths, deformed bees, bees with parasites, poor brood patterns and dead brood to Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23; and
• Register as a biosecurity entity if they own or keep at least one hive. Registration is free for non-commercial beekeepers and native bee hives do not need to be registered. Register through www.daf.qld.gov.au

For more information about the Movement Control Order visit www.daf.qld.gov.au or call 13 25 23.

Media contact:          Ron Goodman            0427 781 920

Today the QBA team have continued to progress on a number of key priorities to support the national eradication efforts and ensure our Queensland sector is well prepared for any possible outcomes. 

Please see below a link to watch the press conference held earlier today, providing an update on operations on the ground to respond and eradicate varroa destructor after it was detected in the Port of Newcastle 1 week ago today. 

To watch the press conference please click the link below.

• NSW Press Conference - 29/06/2022

We have worked through out the day today to upgrade our members site to launch a new portal for information relating to the response efforts to support in the eradication of the mite. We are optimistic that the site will go live sometime tomorrow and will serve our members and greater industry as a reliable source of up to date and factual information. 

Our team are continuing their efforts to support the response efforts, containment and eradication of varroa. We ask that you continue to assist us in the distribution of information to our beekeeping colleagues and greater industry.