Varroa mite feeds on the body fat of its host, the honeybees causing death or deformation. This affects ability to fly, gather food and produce honey.
After humans, it's the turn of honeybees to live under 'lockdown' as has been the case in Australia. While the Covid-19 virus put people across the world under lockdown, for honeybees its a deadly varroa mite. Not just that, to stop the devastating parasite plague due to the deadly varroa mite, the Australian authorities have had to kill millions of honeybees in the last two weeks.
Varroa destructor is an external parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on the honey bees. The disease caused by the mites is called varroosis. The varroa mite can reproduce only in a honey bee colony. The parasitic plague is mostly affecting the southeast region of Australia.
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The sesame seed-sized varroa mite was first spotted at a port near Sydney last week. This small little mite can pose a massive threat to the country's multimillion-dollar honey industry. Colonies of honeybees have been kept under wide range of biosecurity measures to limit the outbreak.
"It is critically important that beekeepers in the Newcastle area do not move any hives or equipment in or out of the area," said the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council. The mite was first discovered in Australia at the port of Newcastle in late June, and honey producers have been on lockdown since.
At least 600 hives containing 30,000 bees each have been destroyed, The New York Times reported. This comes as a big blow because Australia, the last major honey-producing nation which was able to successfully clamp down on the spread of Varroa mite-induced plagues has also been hit by it.
Why is the Varroa mite so deadly?
Varroa mites, which kill and weaken colonies by feasting on them and transmitting viruses, are a huge threat to bees worldwide. The red Varroa mite, about 1.5mm long, feeds on the body fat of its host, causing death or deformation. Ecologist Jay Iwasaki terms the tiny red-brown Varroa mites as 'a little vampire' that feeds on larval honeybees.
They affect bees' ability to fly, gather food, and produce honey. These mites can spread 'some very serious viruses' through honeybee colonies. To stop the spread, keepers inside the 50-kilometre biosecurity zone will not be able to move hives, bees, honey or comb until further notice.
The mite has been blamed for the sharp reduction in the number of honeybee colonies outside Australia, and a rapid fall in the size of honey yields, The Financial Times reported.
How the lockdown can have an adverse effect?
Like humans and their economy, lockdown can also have an adverse effect on the honeybee industry. The lockdown could have a far wider impact in Australia as hives are essential to a number of crops including almonds. The season for almonds is set to begin in the coming weeks. It is an USD 1 billion industry reliant on a quarter of a million hives that are transported around Australia.
A prolonged lockdown could also threaten other critical harvests including macadamia nuts, blueberries, cherries and avocados, as per the report. This comes at a time when Australia is already battling bushfires, floods and a mouse plague within the country. On the other hand, globally rising energy prices and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have raised concerns about food security.
Other than the honey industry, bees are also essential in pollinating countless plants.
(With Agency Inputs)
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