Resilient beekeeping in the face of varroa
The Australian honey bee and pollination industry is vibrant, with 1,800 highly skilled commercial beekeepers and 28,000 recreational beekeepers. The industry extracts 37,000 tonnes of...
Published: 10 Oct 2013
Author(s): RIRDC
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DownloadAround 65 per cent of agricultural production in Australia depends on pollination by European honeybees.
In Australia, 35 industries are dependent on honeybee pollination for most of their production. Crops vary in how much they rely on or respond to pollination by bees. Some industries, such as almonds, apples, pears and cherries, depend almost totally on bees for fruit and nut production.
The potentially devastating impact of exotic pests such as Varroa mite, which is yet to reach Australia, pose a significant threat to honeybees and our pollination services.