Story Highlights
- Crisis on the multi-crore honey industry in Australia
- Veroa mite pest outbreak in Australia
In Australia, the administration killed millions of bees in the last 2 weeks. Actually, this step has been taken by the Australian administration to prevent the dangerous parasitic plague from spreading. Actually, in Australia only last week, Varroa Mite has been detected in the areas near Sydney Port. Due to this, there is a fear of harming the honey industry worth crores of rupees in Australia. After this, an alert has been issued to the people associated with beekeeping.
At the same time, to prevent the spread of this outbreak, beekeeping centers have been kept under ‘lockdown’. The Australian Honey Industry Council has stated that beekeepers in Newcastle do not take any hive or beekeeping equipment into or out of the area.
Australia has been one of the few countries that has been successful in stopping the spread of the Varroa mite. Varroa mite is considered a major threat to bees worldwide. But this time the Varoa mite has been successful in spreading its footing in Australia.
What is Veroa Mite?
The Veroa mite is a sesame-shaped parasitic insect that attacks bee hives and harms bees. It is reddish brown in colour. This small insect is enough to destroy the beekeeping. It is transmitted from bees to other bees, or from one place to another through the equipment used in beekeeping.
This mite is responsible for the declining number of bees
This insect is believed to be responsible for the decline in the number of bee colonies around the world. It has harmed bees in all the countries of the world. Varroa mites can also harm large bees. They reproduce with the help of larvae and pupae. When their numbers increase, they become due to weakening the bees and spreading many more diseases in them.
How does this insect harm bees?
As their number increases in the beehive, they prove to be more lethal and start causing more harm to the bees. These mites cause the bees to lose their ability to fly. After leaving the hive for food, the rate of their return there also decreases significantly. In this way, the production of honey is reduced.
