A shortage of beehives is looming over Victoria’s horticulture sector, with the almond industry the first to feel the pain during pollination season.The Victorian government will leave a ban on moving beehives and equipment from NSW into Victoria “for as long as necessary”.Victoria is grappling with a serious beehive shortage that threatens to inflict a multimillion-dollar blow to the state’s almond sector, the first horticulture industry to be affected during the crucial pollination season.
Almond Board of Australia chief executive Tim Jackson said Victoria’s almond industry had been on track to deliver $600 million in value, but the sector was about 70,000 hives short of the 150,000 it required. “The restriction of beehive movements will have an impact on other industries as the season unfolds,” he said.
“The varroa mite is putting the industry under a fair bit of stress,” he said. “There’s a lot of heartache.” A Victorian government spokeswoman said strict measures had been introduced to protect the state’s agriculture and beekeeping sectors from the varroa mite, which could cause losses of up to $295 million a year for pollination-reliant industries.“Movement controls to protect Victoria will remain in place for as long as necessary to protect against the threat of varroa mite entry into Victoria,” she said.