Asian honeybees had intruded Australia several times in the past carrying Varroa destructor mite, believed to be the most threatening elements for existence of Australian Honey Bees. Recently, few swarms of such Asian (Javanese) bees have been found in Cairns, Australia, giving widespread speculation about the danger may arise for having such bees at the Australia, though nothing like carrying Varroa have yet been established. But, the real danger lies with the undetected swarms of such bees, which might have crossed deep inside the Australian fields. A great exercise is on to find the intruding bees, if any, and to analyze the degree of danger they posses for the Australian Honey Bees. Australia’s beekeepers are really under threat as the destructor type Varroa mite, believed to be being carried by the Asian bees (Apis cerana), have already caused a great destruction to the locale bee populations world over. These Asian bees are not suitable for commercial honey production as compared to the Australia’s own home breed, Apis mellifera. And, they also rob hives of the locale bees, thus causing severe loss to the beekeepers.

Besides Asian Honey Bees, uncontrolled use of pesticides is another great cause of concern for the Australia’s beekeepers. Fruit and vegetable crops, cotton, almond, etc. are the major lifeline for the growth of the Honey Bees and as the almond cropping is booming across the Australia, pesticides used therein are actually destroying the Honey Bee cultivation across Australia. Due less rain during recent times in Australia, there will not be heavy eucalypt flowerings in near future, thus causing another potential risk to the growth of the Australian Honey Bees.
Source: Science daily