Logan beekeepers are having success managing the varroa mites that have decimated hives across the country and are calling for government support to help educate more beekeepers and protect bees.
Ally Shepard of Norma May Honey and Steph Blum of Urban Bee Education together are the Girls in Pink, educating people about beekeeping.
Ms Shepard just took out first place at both the Ekka and the Gold Coast Show for her full honeycomb frame and hopes her success can inspire other beekeepers to continue fighting against the current Varroa Mite crisis in Australia.
“We’ve been able to overcome some odds that have sadly made a lot of beekeepers lose their bees,” Ms Shepard said.
“For us to have that win, just shows that with our method of regenerative beekeeping, there is hope for a lot of south-east Queensland beekeepers.”
Both Ms Shepard and Ms Blum have been sharing their varroa mite management techniques to beekeepers across Australia, including thermal heat treatment, oxalic acid strips and drone brood culling.
They are encouraging people to sign a petition lodged with the federal government calling for more access to permits for oxalic and formic acid and the use of Norroa in Australia, which has been successfully used in America. The petition also calls for financial help to replace Queen bees and colonies killed by the mite.
“We need a little bit of assistance that’s effective, proven treatment,” Ms Blum said
The industry is currently expecting the crisis to continue for a further 2-5 years before it becomes manageable, which, Ms Shephard said had caused people to be wary about getting into or continuing beekeeping.
“I think a lot of people are scared to get into beekeeping, and it’s quite daunting because the information out there is that bees are dying, we’re getting no help, and that nothing can be done,” Ms Shepard said.
Google Trends data shows a decrease in search interest in beekeeping since the varroa mite crisis was detected in 2022. Search interest is measured on a relative scale and does not represent total search volume.
However, the Girls in Pink are encouraging people to keep hope and change the narrative.
“We are trying to change the narrative and say, ‘You know what? With actual hard work, there are right treatments. We can get through this.'” Ms Shepard said.
“The rest of the world has dealt with varroa mite for many years. Yes, our climate is different, and yes, we are dealing with infestation, but we will and can get through this.”
Ms Blum urged beekeepers to seek information and not add to the negativity online.
“If you do not treat and you do not find a way that works, your bees are going to die,” Ms Blum said.
She said it was frustrating to hear from beekeepers still using varroa mite management chemical Bayvarol, when the mites had already developed a resistance to in Queensland.
“Beekeepers ring me on the daily and they say that their hive is still going down and they’re using Bayvarol. Bayvarol is not working,'” she said.
She said the government needed to do more.
“We need a little bit of assistance that’s effective, proven treatment,” Ms Blum said.
*This content is part of a paid partnership with Google to promote Google Trends. It uses Google Trends data to explore interest in beekeeping.
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