17 April 2000

Varroa confirmed on Ohope, suspected in Rotorua

The presence of the varroa mite was confirmed in Ohope apiaries late this afternoon, and visually confirmed in hives in Rotorua.

Ohope

An Ohope beekeeper submitted the infected bee samples from his apiaries to the National Plant Pests Reference Laboratory (NPPRL) Laboratory for diagnosis. These were confirmed positive today.

Previously bees from another of the beekeeper’s apiaries turned out to be harbouring the endemic species of mite, Mellitiphis alvearius. This species is commonly mistaken for varroa. It is associated with honeybees, but is not a parasite of honeybees.

Rotorua

Visual identification of varroa in Rotorua hives resulted from the on-going tracing work being done by the MAF-led field teams. This trace came from a Hauraki Plains infected site. Honey was sent from the site to a Rotorua processing factory for extraction. Apiaries around the factory are now suspected to be infected.

Laboratory confirmation is expected late tomorrow.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the National Beekeepers Association will be meeting tomorrow to work out the implications of what the latest varroa finds mean for the exotic disease response currently underway.