By PHILIPPA STEVENSON AND NZPA
Environment Waikato has called for vigorous efforts to contain the bee-killing Varroa mite in the North Island, as some beekeepers in the South Island confirm that an invasion would break them.
The regional council has urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Biosecurity Authority to aim to eradicate the mite, which could devastate bee populations in New Zealand.
The Government decided against a $70 million eradication attempt after advice that it had only a 10 per cent chance of success. It opted for slowing the spread in the North Island and keeping the mite out of the South Island for as long as possible.
But in a submission to the authority, Environment Waikato said containing Varroa in the North Island's northern regions must be pursued, and a vigorous control programme should start immediately, with buffers put in place to remove feral bees.
"The Government must be willing to pay fair compensation [to beekeepers] and not delay in destroying hives and preventing movement. Inter-island border control should have been done months ago," said the council, which offered to provide staff and feral bee control.
In the South Island, some beekeepers warned MAF officials that the mite would be the last straw for their businesses.
Bryan O'Neill, of Southern Honey Exports in Oamaru, said many apiarists had already faced a 30 per cent drop in honey prices, higher fuel costs and a 30 per cent rise in the cost of sugar.
He said they would be unable to afford Varroa infestation - expected to cost $40 to $55 a hive to treat.
But most of the 35 or so industry representatives at a meeting with officials seemed happy with MAF's initial plans to monitor and control the spread of the mite.
Among the proposals is a three-tier surveillance plan, involving sentinel hives at ports and "movement corridors," a targeting of high-risk areas, and random sampling of hives throughout the South Island.
Beekeepers were worried about what would happen after the two-year Government-funded control period, particularly whether they would be left funding a bureaucratic programme offering little practical support.
MAF plans to wipe out the mite whenever it is found in the South Island, which is considered viable because numbers are likely to be low.
Mites are thought to have inhabited North Island hives for at least three seasons before they were found, which had allowed numbers to build up.
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