Varroa mite containment allows Victorian beekeepers to begin transporting hives from NSW

Authorities in NSW say there is now a national acceptance that the state is free from varroa mite except for an area within a 25 km radius of an infected hive.

Agriculture Victoria acting chief plant health officer Stephen Dibley said the national decision was made after surveillance showed 99.99 per cent confidence that varroa mite is not present in the NSW 'blue zone'.

The state's 'red zone', where infected hives have been found, were mostly located near Newcastle and the NSW Central Coast.

"Victoria welcomes this announcement, and we can now begin assessing permit applications to move hives from NSW into Victoria that were unable to cross the border prior to the national acceptance of area freedom in NSW's blue zone," Dr Dibley said.

"Initially, only Victorian registered hives in the blue zone that can demonstrate compliance with testing and traceability requirements will be able to be moved."

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Non-Victorian registered hives will soon be able to apply for a permit to enter Victoria and will be subjected to a heightened testing regime.

Commercial beekeeper Peter McDonald, Castlemaine, was travelling to NSW in preparation to take hives back to Victoria when he spoke to Stock & Land.

He said he was very happy with the decision to reopen borders.

"It's been a lot of extra work, a lot of stress and worry about the bees up here in NSW, because the state has had floods," he said.

"We're currently up near Hay and there's been a lot of flooding through here and nearby, and it's just been so cold and wet which means flowers for the bees just haven't been there at different times."

Mr McDonald said border closures had complicated matters over much of last year for beekeepers in Victoria who also had bees in NSW, and many did not have an income apart of pollination contracts as not much honey was produced.

But he also praised the efforts of several industry and government bodies in being able to contain the spread of varroa mite and said it was an example of what "great partnerships" can achieve.

"[It] is a real feather in the cap of the whole response against varroa," he said

"Apart from the Newcastle area and a few other areas which were jumped on quickly, there's been no varroa out in the wild which is which is fantastic news.

"The fact that Victoria and hopefully other states can open the border is a real acknowledgement of the great work that's been done by all the people involved in the response, from government people, especially in NSW, but also volunteer beekeepers that have been in there helping out."

He also said that he felt for beekeepers who worked in the 'red zones' of NSW who have had hives destroyed.

"Those of us that are not impacted directly by varroa mite, are really feeling for those people, and the border openings is a good thing in that it means things are going to plan," he said.

"And if we're going to plan, those beekeepers will be back to be able to get bees as soon as possible.

"We need the wider industry to be supportive and able to be in those areas so that the industry is thriving once they're free of varroa mite.

"They're the ones that are doing it really hard."

Health certificates must be obtained for all movements of bees, bee products and any used fittings, like beekeeping equipment, that's heading into Victoria.

Varroa mite was first discovered at the Port of Newcastle in June 2022, and authorities report that 107 properties had been infected since then.