Attendees at the Queensland Bee Keepers Association (QBA)’s 105th annual conference in Cairns last week heard the sobering suggestion it was inevitable that the Verroa destructor mite would eventually enter Australia, being the only continent left without it.

US based Randy Oliver delivered the Charles Roff Memorial Address to the 130 strong crowd of Australia wide and international delegates, detailing specific figures on what the dreaded mite could cost rural producers.

Based on the Californian experience, Mr Oliver said the mite will have severe impact.

“Verroa destructor mitigation strategies increased agricultural input costs by up to 17 percent,” he said.

“It is currently estimated that honeybees add $1.6 billion to the Australian agricultural and horticultural industries each year, not only through honey production but pollination activities.

Dr Denis Anderson from the CSIRO also spoke on the discovery that Varroa jacobsonii is reproducing on honey bees potentially adding yet another source of mites that could establish and devastate the Australian beekeeping industry.

On a brighter note, the QBA presented embattled Cairns Mayor Val Schier with a Certificate of Appreciation for the people of the Cairns District for their invaluable assistance in eradicating the Asian honeybee incursions.

With Mayor Schier arriving late for the presentation, the Wayne Wendt MP, Chair of QPIF Minister Mulherin’s Ministerial Legislative Committee, who officially opened the conference, found himself answering some awkward policy questions in the Mayor’s absence.

Questions revolved around the newly announced decision to lock beekeepers out of National Parks areas in December 2024, a move that would severely limit production numbers.

The Conference concluded with a field trip to Asian honeybee incursion sites and the Atherton Tableland.

*More photos in next week’s North Queensland Register.