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Local beekeepers concerned about influx of the Asian honeybee |
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Written by Les Fawkes
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Thursday, 03 March 2011 |
Any
colony of Asian bee or foreign bee arriving in Australia must be
regarded as a serious threat. Australian beekeepers are well aware of
the risk that this bee is to commercial honeybees in Australia.
These bees affect not only honey production but also the natural and
vital pollination of other crops, fruits, vegetables and other plants.
The exotic intruder is aggressive toward local European bees.
| LNP Member for Fisher Peter Slipper met with Maleny bee researcher Dr Max Whitten and Chairman of the Australian Honeybee Council Lindsay Bourke during the campaign against the Asian Honeybee at Parliament House
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The
Asian bee is common in areas to Australia 's north, such as Papua New
Guinea and South East Asia and since 2007 they have been found in areas
of far North Queensland. It is believed that a bee colony has swarmed
onto a shipping vessel and survived until the vessel docked in an
Australian port.
LNP
Member for Fisher Peter Slipper has met with beekeepers in Canberra
this week to discuss their campaign to secure government funds to fight
the invading Asian Honeybee. He fully supports initiatives that
would help eradicate the Asian Honeybee threat
The
trip was led by Maleny bee researcher Dr Max Whitten and and Chairman
of the Australian Honeybee Council Lindsay Bourke, who jointly describes
the Asian Honeybee as potentially devastating not only for the
Australian honey industry, but for the agriculture and horticulture
industries as well as the lucrative commercial pollination sector.
Dr. Whitten said, “Bees are not only about honey; in fact, that is a relatively small part of what they do. They are a key part of the ecological network and play a vital role in the reproduction of plants everywhere. They need to be supported and assisted to ensure their population survives and thrives. Without our bees our agriculture and horticulture industries would be much worse off and probably would risk complete collapse.”
The beekeepers took their concerns to Canberra where they met with Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Senator Joe Ludwig and Member for Fisher, Mr. Peter Slipper to highlight the industry concerns and request government funds to do all that it can through the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to support ongoing attempts to eradicate the Asian bee from Australia.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 26 April 2011 )
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Range News 2005 - ON 
