Biosecurity
Biosecurity is the protection of our countries
environmental, economic and social assets from biological hazards such as pest
and disease.
The Asian honey bee poses a high biosecurity risk to the Australian environment through the infestation of ecologically significant areas. As the Asian honey bee is widely used for honey production throughout the world and as they are known to be a highly adaptive species (Ruttner 1988), there is risk of competition with the A. mellifera, the dependant species of the honey industry. As a highly adaptable species, the Asian honey bee may prove to be a nuisance to community members through swarming and nesting around homes and public infrastructure, as it has currently been found that nearly 40% of nest have been located in built up areas (National Management Group 2011). They are not just a biosecurity concern due to their presence but also the potential parasitic hosts and viruses they could be carrying. As seen across the world in countries who also rely on honey bees, the impacts of the invaders have proven destructive to the honey industry and native honey bee populations.
The Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) is one such parasite that has spread worldwide (Chen and Siede 2007). The Varroa mite is considered a major threat to the European honey bee (Boot et al. 1992) as the Varroa mite can weaken colonies and in some cases cause death to the nest. This occurs when the female Varroa mite invades the brood cells (Image 9) before the cell is sealed where the mite will then proceed to feed on the hemolymph (circulatory fluid in invertebrates) of the pre-pupae, pupae and then onto the adult stage (Image 10) of the honey bees lifecycle (Shen et al. 2005). This process weakens the honey bees and reduces their lifespan (Shen et al. 2005).
It has been unclear as to how the Varroa mite kills honey bees however they have been linked to influencing virus infections in honey bees including the Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) (Allen & Ball, 1996; Chen and Siede 2007; Ellis and Munn, 2005; Bowen-Walker et al. 1999; Brodsgaard et al. 2000). Some studies have suggested that Varroa mites may even transmit viruses to the honey bees (Hung and Hachiro 1999; Hung et al. 2000; Ongus et al. 2004; Shen 2003; Shen et al. 2005; Tentcheva et al. 2004). DWV is one virus that has been linked to vast deaths of honey bees worldwide (Schroeder & Stephen 2012) with symptoms effecting all stages of the honey bee’s life (Chen and Siede 2007).
As the transport of infested colonies aid in the rapid dispersion of the Varroa mite over vast geographical regions (Sammataro et al. 2000) the steps taken by Australia’s biosecurity teams is extremely important in preventing the parasite and viruses from invading Australia. To see how the Queensland Government has responded to the infestation of the Asian honey bee and how Australia is managing the risk, refer to the Management tab above.
The Asian honey bee poses a high biosecurity risk to the Australian environment through the infestation of ecologically significant areas. As the Asian honey bee is widely used for honey production throughout the world and as they are known to be a highly adaptive species (Ruttner 1988), there is risk of competition with the A. mellifera, the dependant species of the honey industry. As a highly adaptable species, the Asian honey bee may prove to be a nuisance to community members through swarming and nesting around homes and public infrastructure, as it has currently been found that nearly 40% of nest have been located in built up areas (National Management Group 2011). They are not just a biosecurity concern due to their presence but also the potential parasitic hosts and viruses they could be carrying. As seen across the world in countries who also rely on honey bees, the impacts of the invaders have proven destructive to the honey industry and native honey bee populations.
The Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) is one such parasite that has spread worldwide (Chen and Siede 2007). The Varroa mite is considered a major threat to the European honey bee (Boot et al. 1992) as the Varroa mite can weaken colonies and in some cases cause death to the nest. This occurs when the female Varroa mite invades the brood cells (Image 9) before the cell is sealed where the mite will then proceed to feed on the hemolymph (circulatory fluid in invertebrates) of the pre-pupae, pupae and then onto the adult stage (Image 10) of the honey bees lifecycle (Shen et al. 2005). This process weakens the honey bees and reduces their lifespan (Shen et al. 2005).
It has been unclear as to how the Varroa mite kills honey bees however they have been linked to influencing virus infections in honey bees including the Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) (Allen & Ball, 1996; Chen and Siede 2007; Ellis and Munn, 2005; Bowen-Walker et al. 1999; Brodsgaard et al. 2000). Some studies have suggested that Varroa mites may even transmit viruses to the honey bees (Hung and Hachiro 1999; Hung et al. 2000; Ongus et al. 2004; Shen 2003; Shen et al. 2005; Tentcheva et al. 2004). DWV is one virus that has been linked to vast deaths of honey bees worldwide (Schroeder & Stephen 2012) with symptoms effecting all stages of the honey bee’s life (Chen and Siede 2007).
As the transport of infested colonies aid in the rapid dispersion of the Varroa mite over vast geographical regions (Sammataro et al. 2000) the steps taken by Australia’s biosecurity teams is extremely important in preventing the parasite and viruses from invading Australia. To see how the Queensland Government has responded to the infestation of the Asian honey bee and how Australia is managing the risk, refer to the Management tab above.