BEE ZONE Apiaries

24/04/2026

Seriously, these students display my interest in anything the NSW DPI may have to say through any, or all, of their aliases or sycophants.

Ben Stein as Uber Dork economics teacher in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" 1986. True in teen comedies, true in real schools and universities to this day.. Sad b...

22/04/2026

This does not include the connections via cronyism, nepotism, business dealings, marriage ...

14/04/2026

Worth another try - This is an APPEAL to the "Powers that be" eg AHBIC (Australian Honey Bee Industry Council including your AQBBA (Australian Queen bee Breeders Association), to ACT NOW on the Importation of Mated Queen Bee Breeder VSH stock from Paradise Queen Hawaii. Australia, for some reasons, is in a terrible position with Varroa mites especially as we do not know much at all about origins, viruses, resistance to treatments. Do your homework and realise that DWV is NOT the ISSUE. Mites are. Current known attempts at breeding even a hygienic queen to cope have failed completely in at least one programme. It will be, historically supported, that we are close to 20 years away from "success" with a VSH queen when starting from scratch (okay maybe some would claim 4 years breeding with a purpose, which is why I say 20 and not 30 years. Plan bee failed, and will continue to do so under the management of someone with a humanities degree and no bee geneticists either in existence or even collaborating. ACT NOW to get stock to accelerate our VSH capabilities. It isn't about money - plenty of that has been squandered. GET ADVICE apart from pseudo-technical specialists and people who have bought a Schley, pin tester, and spray. How much more proof is needed? DO SOMETHING NOW and give some hope and confidence to beekeepers other than "death, burn, treatments don't work, don't know, try the same old fashioned thinking ..." I can't say this much more clearly - LEAD WITH A VISION and HOPE! There is still a moment left ...

12/04/2026

Paint Stripper/Hive Cleaning Kit available. Use it how you need and see fit for your purpose. I can't mention Varroa mite treatment as one possible option as the Clowns have not approved its use for that purpose. PS _ I fear r
the Truck is waiting repair to get the Leadership of the Beekeeping Industry moving forward. Remember - Have your say without raising your voice - Boycott NSW DPI speakers at Conferences or any other venue. LET THEM KNOW, JUST DON'T GO.

06/04/2026

Possible two unknown Varroa destructor Biosecurity breaches. We may as well "guess" from where Tropilaelaps might breach, and wonder, in fact, if it isn't already here and not yet identified. I wonder what the "plan" is and who will have colonies needlessly destroyed when it is finally recognised? Another chance for NSW DPI to raise the torch and raze the Industry.

By analyzing peer-reviewed scientific literature, this study provides a comprehensive list of countries where a Tropilaelaps mercedesae specimen was collected in association with A. mellifera colonies.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00218839.2026.2645867

02/04/2026

Did someone say "How could it get worse?" Given the almost certain importation/biosecurity breach of Varroa mite, that probably with it chemical resistance, and that "They" can't tell us from where, when, or how long Varroa mite has been in Australia, we had best be prepared for the next High Cost to the Beekeeper and disastrous/slothful/ignorant reaction by NSW DPI and their sycophants and persons who remain anonymous. REMEMBER - the same people are in the decision making and Biosecurity roles that they should have lost with the last failure ...

The European Beekeeping Association is sounding a critical alarm regarding the westward spread of the Tropilaelaps spp.mite, a parasite that reproduces faster and causes more devastating colony losses than the well-known Varroa mite.

https://ebaeurope.eu/urgent-measures-required-to-prevent-the-introduction-of-tropilaelaps-mites-into-the-eu/

26/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1339293298244909&set=a.642236237950622&__cft__[0]=AZYJ5yjExH54uwB3_f5v1SOwUzJ0TV8hg6-GOEuj34N_uaAiCH-pwUD6rwBlGnZ22o3Bsi0Zae7X0X2MxsovRmvbJFQvbiRTGm8B1gupwqCe_n78HT398m9t_xOkeCdWEG_ryRwFP0HxHh3oshilBtgR9ZJl1uOi5tEW6Xkz7IOYqQ&__tn__=EH-R

Viruses and vectors tied to honey bee colony losses

Zachary S. Lamas, Frank Rinkevich, Andrew Garavito, Allison Shaulis, Dawn Boncristiani, Elizabeth Hill, Yan Ping Chen, Jay D. Evans

Abstract
Commercial beekeepers in the US reported severe colony losses early in 2025, as colonies were being staged for their critical role in the almond pollination season in California. Average reported losses since the preceding spring exceeded 60%, with substantial variation among operations. Many colonies were still actively collapsing in January 2025, at which time pooled and individual samples were collected and then screened for levels of 13 known honey bee pathogens and parasites. Acute bee paralysis virus and other known viral pathogens were found at high levels in pooled bee samples from all collapsing apiaries. Nevertheless, viral loads did not differ between healthy colonies and colonies in active collapse. However, individual bees exhibiting shaking behaviors and morbidity showed distinctly higher loads of two strains of deformed wing virus. Differences between these two analyses suggest that direct collections of morbid bees provide a complementary diagnostic for causal viruses, a suggestion supported by inoculation experiments that successfully replicated observed pathologies. Since these viruses are known to be vectored by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, mites from collapsed colonies were in turn screened for resistance to amitraz, a critical miticide used widely by beekeepers, including all beekeepers surveyed in this study. A genetic trait linked with miticide resistance was found in all collected mites, underscoring the urgent need for new control strategies for this parasite. While viruses are a likely end-stage cause of colony death, other stressors such as nutritional stress and agrochemicals may have also played significant roles.

To continue reading, please visit: https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013939

This was originally published on February 23, 2026 by PLOS Pathogens