https://doi.org/10.4081/gh.2024.1282

Investigation of landscape risk factors for the recent spread of varroa mite (Varroa destructor) in European honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies in New South Wales, Australia

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2024)
Submitted: 13 March 2024
Accepted: 8 June 2024
Published: 4 July 2024
Australia, Varroa mite, European honeybee, epidemic, spread
Abstract Views: 1052
PDF: 259
HTML: 7
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Emily Phaboutdy
Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Australia.
Michael Ward
michael.ward@sydney.edu.au
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9921-4986
Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Australia.

In June 2022, an exotic pest of the European honeybee (Apis mellifera), the varroa mite (Varroa destructor), was detected in surveillance hives at the Port of Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW). Previously, Australia remained the only continent free of the varroa mite. In September 2023, the National Management Group decided to shift the focus of the response from eradication to management. It is estimated that the establishment of varroa mite in Australia could lead to more than $70 million in losses each year due to greatly reduced pollination services. Currently, there are no reported studies on the epidemiology of varroa mite in NSW because it is such a recent outbreak, and there is little knowledge of the factors associated with the presence of V. destructor in the Australian context. We sourced publicly available varroa mite outbreak reports from June 22 to December 19, 2022, to determine if urbanization, land use, and distance from the incursion site are associated with the detection of varroa mite infestation in European honeybee colonies in NSW. The outcome investigated was epidemic day, relative to the first detected premises (June 22, 2022). The study population was comprised of 107 premises, which were declared varroa-infested. The median epidemic day was day 37 (July 29, 2022), and a bimodal distribution was observed from the epidemic curve, which was reflective of an intermittent source pattern of spread. We found that premises were detected to be infected with varroa mite earlier in urban areas [median epidemic day 25 (July 17, 2022)] compared to rural areas [median epidemic day 37.5 (July 29, 2022)]. Infected premises located in areas without cropping, forests, and irrigation were detected earlier in the outbreak [median epidemic days 23.5 (July 15, 2022), 30 (July 22, 2022), and 15 (July 7, 2022), respectively] compared to areas with cropping, forests, and irrigation [median epidemic days 50 (August 11, 2022), 43 (August 4, 2022), and 47 (August 8, 2022), respectively]. We also found that distance from the incursion site was not significantly correlated with epidemic day. Urbanization and land use are potential factors for the recent spread of varroa mite in European honeybee colonies in NSW. This knowledge is essential to managing the current varroa mite outbreak and preventing future mass varroa mite spread events.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC
Agriculture Victoria, 2023. About Varroa mite of honey bees. Available from: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/pest-insects-and-mites/priority-pest-insects-and-mites/varroa-mite-of-honey-bees/about-varroa-mite-of-honey-bees.
Ash ES, Roger S, Ellouise L, 2019. Dancing bees evaluate agricultural forage resources as inferior to central urban land. bioRxiv doi: 10.1101/2019.12.19.882076. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2019.12.19.882076
Bahrami M, Mohammadzadeh D, Emami SJ, Rabiee MH, Bokaie S, 2018. A survey on prevalence and risk factors of Varroasis in West Azerbaijan, Iran. Int J Acarol 44:185-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01647954.2018.1490346
Baum KA, Tchakerian MD, Birt AG, Coulson RN, 2014. Honey bee ecology from an urban landscape perspective: the spatial ecology of feral honey bees. In: Devillers J, ed. Silico bees. CRC Press, pp 109-134. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/b16453-6
Bee Aware, 2023. Industry. Available from: https://beeaware.org.au/industry/.
Bila Dubaić J, Simonović S, Plećaš M, Stanisavljević L, Davidović S, Tanasković M, Ćetković A, 2021 Unprecedented density and persistence of feral honey bees in urban environments of a large SE-European city (Belgrade, Serbia). Insects 12:1127. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12121127
Chapman NC, Colin T, Cook J, Da Silva CR, Gloag R, Hogendoorn K, Howard SR, Remnant EJ, Roberts JM, Tierney SM, Wilson RS, 2023. The final frontier: ecological and evolutionary dynamics of a global parasite invasion. Biol Lett 19:20220589. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2022.0589
Clarke M, Feuvre DL, 2021. Size and scope of the Australian honey bee and pollination industry – a snapshot. Available from: https://agrifutures.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/20-136.pdf.
Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, 2021. Honey bees and their pests and diseases. Available from: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/pests-diseases-weeds/bees.
Department of Primary Industries, 2022. European Honeybee. Available from: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/plant/bees-and-wasps/european-honeybee.
Department of Primary Industries, 2023a. Varroa mite transition to management. Available from: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/emergencies/biosecurity/current-situation/varroa-mite-emergency-response.
Department of Primary Industries, 2023b. Varroa mite emergency order. Available from: https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gazette_2023_2023-441.pdf.
Department of Primary Industries, 2024. Eradication Zones – Fact Sheet. Available from: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1418154/Eradication-Zones-factsheet.pdf
Dolezal AG, St. Clair AL, Zhang G, Toth AL, O’Neal ME, 2019. Native habitat mitigates feast–famine conditions faced by honey bees in an agricultural landscape. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 116:25147-55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1912801116
Doug S, Madelyn K, 2022. NSW DPI Primefact - Varroa mites. Available from: https://snelandcare.org.au/images/PDF/Comms_2022/NSW_DPI_Primefact_-_Varroa_mites.pdf
Giacobino A, Cagnolo NB, Merke J, Orellano E, Bertozzi E, Masciangelo G, Pietronave H, Salto C, Signorini M, 2014. Risk factors associated with the presence of Varroa destructor in honey bee colonies from east-central Argentina. Prev Vet Med 115:280-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2014.04.002
Giacobino A, Pacini A, Molineri A, Bulacio Cagnolo N, Merke J, Orellano E, Bertozzi E, Masciangelo G, Pietronave H, Signorini M, 2017. Environment or beekeeping management: What explains better the prevalence of honey bee colonies with high levels of Varroa destructor?. Res Vet Sci 112:1-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2017.01.001
Iwasaki JM, Barratt BI, Lord JM, Mercer AR, Dickinson KJ, 2015. The New Zealand experience of varroa invasion highlights research opportunities for Australia. Ambio 44:694-704. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-015-0679-z
Johnson RM, Ellis MD, Mullin CA, Frazier M, 2010. Pesticides and honey bee toxicity - USA. Apidologie 41:312-31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/apido/2010018
Korená Hillayová M, Korený Ľ, Škvarenina J, 2022. The local environmental factors impact the infestation of bee colonies by mite Varroa destructor. Ecol Indic 141:109104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109104
Kruszelnicki K, 2023. Varroa mite and bees. Available from: https://www.sydney.edu.au/science/news-and-events/2023/10/11/varroa-mite-and-bees.html
Kulldorff M, Heffernan R, Hartman J, Assunção RM, Mostashari F, 2005 A space-time permutation scan statistic for the early detection of disease outbreaks. PLoS Med 2:216-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020059
Liu P, Zhu Y, Ye L, Shi T, Li L, Cao H, Yu L, 2021. Overwintering honeybees maintained dynamic and stable intestinal bacteria. Sci Rep 11:22233. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01204-7
National Pest & Disease Outbreaks, 2022. Varroa mite (Varroa destructor). Available from: https://www.outbreak.gov.au/current-responses-to-outbreaks/varroa-mite.
New South Wales Agriculture, 1999. Bee swarms and their control. Agnote DAI/125. Available from: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/117428/bee-swarm-control.pdf
Perrone ST, Malfroy S, 2014. Beeforce australia part II. Bee World 91:70-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0005772X.2014.11417609
Ptaszyńska AA, Gancarz M, Hurd PJ, Borsuk G, Wiącek D, Nawrocka A, Strachecka A, Załuski D, Paleolog D, 2018. Changes in the bioelement content of summer and winter western honeybees (Apis mellifera) induced by Nosema ceranae infection. PLoS One 2018;13:e0200410. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200410
Smart MD, Pettis JS, Euliss N, Spivak MS, 2016. Land use in the northern great plains region of the U.S. influences the survival and productivity of honey bee colonies. Agr Ecosyst Environ 230:139-49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2016.05.030
Stevenson MA, Benard H, Bolger P, Morris RS, 2005. Spatial epidemiology of the Asian honey bee mite (Varroa destructor) in the North Island of New Zealand. Prev Vet Med 71:241-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2005.07.007
Wenzel A, Grass I, Belavadi VV, Tscharntke T, 2020. How urbanization is driving pollinator diversity and pollination - a systematic review. Biol Conserv 241:108321. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108321

How to Cite

Phaboutdy, E., & Ward, M. (2024). Investigation of landscape risk factors for the recent spread of varroa mite (<i>Varroa destructor</i>) in European honeybee (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) colonies in New South Wales, Australia. Geospatial Health, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/gh.2024.1282
Copyright (c) 2024 the Author(s) Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.