Growers and industry groups in South Australia are preparing for increased reliance on managed pollination as new detections of varroa mite continue across the state. Several outbreaks have been confirmed in recent weeks, including in Woodside in the Adelaide Hills, an area that produces apples and cherries. The Department of Primary Industries and Regions of SA (PIRSA) expects more detections in the Adelaide Hills, the Fleurieu, and the south east in the coming days and weeks.
Varroa mite weakens and kills honey bees and spreads viruses. It has now been detected in South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and the ACT. About 35 per cent of crops in Australia rely on bee pollination, with about 75 per cent receiving some level of benefit from bee activity.
Keegan Blignaut, managing director of Duxton Bees in the Murraylands, said demand for managed hives is likely to grow. He noted that overseas markets and Australian states with established varroa populations already depend more heavily on commercial pollination. Blignaut said, "We've been very fortunate up until this time without varroa being endemic in Australia, that we've had, in a sense, this free pollination for crops." He added, "With varroa being in the mix now, we foresee that paid pollination services will grow."
Blignaut said increased reliance on managed hives will raise costs, and that honey prices will also need to rise to support industry expansion. He said, "The industry is not at the scale to support the demand for pollination, so the price of pollination will increase, which will support the industry," adding that honey prices would need to rise to allow growth.
Beekeepers Society of South Australia member Simon Gerblich said South Australia already brings in thousands of interstate hives each year to meet pollination needs. He warned that loss of feral bees to varroa could reduce yields in crops such as cherries, apricots, and pears. Gerblich said, "Once all of those feral colonies go, that will mean that all of those pollination-dependent industries like cherries, apricots, pears, the yield on that fruit is going to go down."
He encouraged beekeepers to register with PIRSA and conduct regular testing. "We really need all SA beekeepers to virtually assume that varroa could be near them and start doing varroa tests," he said.
Fruit Producers SA chief executive Grant Piggott said growers expected varroa to eventually reach the state. He said the number of managed hives required for pollination will likely increase as feral bee populations decline. Piggott said, "Probably, as soon as next year, the number of managed hives that growers need to achieve their pollination will need to increase."
Source: ABC News
