Here is some of the written press from New Zealand.  At the end is a
URL for a streaming video of our TV news item re: the varroa outbreak:

Bee mite infestation - MAF statement

The honey bee mite Varroa jacobsoni was confirmed in three beehives
on a property in South Auckland today (Tuesday April 11).

Hives on three other properties have been inspected, and are showing
signs of infestation. A full-scale survey to determine the extent of
the spread of the mite will begin tomorrow (Wednesday).

At this stage it is unknown how the mite arrived in New Zealand. The
evidence suggests it may have been present and undetected for up to
five years. Spread is commonly by live bees, and there have been no
live bee imports permitted into New Zealand for at least 40 years to
protect our bee health status. The mite spreads by natural means very
slowly, at a rate of 5km a year. When first affected, hives have low
numbers of mites that are not easily seen. Numbers build up over
several years until the hive dies.

Controlled Area

A controlled area will be declared under the Biosecurity Act, and
will include Rodney District, North Shore City, Waitakere City,
Auckland City (excluding Great Barrier Island), Manukau City,
Papakura District, Franklin District, Waikato District, Hamilton City
and Hauraki District.

The controlled area will mean that the movement of any bees (live and
dead), beehives, supers of honey intended to be extracted, used
beekeeping equipment and appliances will be prohibited within the
area, or from the area to other areas. This will remain in force
until the survey has determined the mite's distribution. There will
be further controls on movements of these items from the North to
South Islands.

Surveillance

From Wednesday, teams of apiarists led by MAF authorised persons will
be visiting and inspecting beehives within the controlled area. MAF
and the National Beekeeping Association (NBA) are working together to
determine how far the mite has spread and options for control.

MAF and the NBA are requesting the cooperation of all beekeepers
throughout New Zealand to inspect their hives for signs of the Varroa
mite.

What to look for

Infested hives may show the following signs:

Unexpectedly low bee numbers

Sacbrood-like symptoms in brood frames

Small bronze mites on the bodies of bees, and on uncapped drone pupae


Weak crawling bees, possible with deformed wings

Sudden hive crashes.

Background

Varroa jacobsoni is a small, bronze-coloured oval mite 1-2 mm long,
which is found on the outside of adult honey bees. It can be seen
with the naked eye if bees are examined carefully. It is also visible
on honey bee pupae, and appears as a dark reddish-brown dot. It is
most commonly found on drone pupae. The mite does not affect humans,
and has no known host other than the honey bee.

The mite originated in eastern Asia and spread into Europe via
Russia. Since the 1980s it has been carried into most other
beekeeping regions of the world, killing thousands of colonies. Until
now New Zealand and Australia have been considered the only major
beekeeping countries free of the mite. The mite lives by feeding on
bee pupae. Infected pupae fail to survive, or may be born with
deformed wings.

Eventually, the mite population increases to a point where all the
bees in the beehive die. This can take up to three years from the
original infestation.

The mite spreads naturally from hive to hive by bee contact. However,
the rapid spread of the mite worldwide is due to human activities.
Modern beekeepers shift their hives long distances to pollinate
crops, or gather honey. This enabled the Varroa mite to spread over
the whole North American continent within five years of being
introduced. Some European countries, which have strictly controlled
the movement of bees, have managed to greatly slow the spread of
Varroa. Another means of spread is the international trade in live
bees. Queen bees are shipped worldwide, and are believed to be
responsible for the spread of the mite from Europe to both North and
South America.

New Zealand has prohibited the import of live bees for the last 40
years to protect our bee health status. This has led to New Zealand
becoming a major exporter of live bees and queens to the Northern
Hemisphere. This annual $1.8 million trade is threatened by the
discovery of the Varroa mite.

Published on April 12, 2000 ONE NEWS sourced from TVNZ, RNZ, Reuters
and

If you have enough bandwidth, you can see the news item from NZ
television:

http://nzoom.com/onenews/national/2000/04/11/00019271.htm


  (\      Nick Wallingford
 {|||8-   [log in to unmask]
  (/      NZ Beekeeping http://www.beekeeping.co.nz

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