‘A slow-moving train wreck’: The deadly parasite threatening Australian food supply

A tiny parasite is ravaging honeybee colonies across Australia’s eastern seaboard, threatening one-third of the food items on Aussie shelves.

First arriving in Newcastle four years ago, the deadly Varroa mite has now spread from Far North Queensland to parts of Victoria and South Australia.

A new treatment-resistant variant has emerged, rendering previous chemical containment methods ineffective and causing hives to collapse within days.

Commercial beekeepers and backyard enthusiasts report total colony losses, leaving farmers without the vital natural pollinators needed for spring crops.

The situation has gotten so serious that Almond Board of Australia chief executive Tim Jackson described it as a “slow-moving train wreck”.

“Given the fact that we need five to six hives per hectare, the costs are now well over $1000 a hectare for that four weeks’ work to pollinate the crop,” he said,

Meanwhile, strawberry growers are already seeing misshapen, unsellable fruit due to reduced pollination.

Strawberry Growers Association vice president Brendon Hoyle has warned that the lack of produce could result in price hikes.

“If we can’t produce enough, the price goes up ... the consumer will see that price increase in the shops.”

Despite millions spent on initial biosecurity containment, agricultural boards say government assistance has been rendered redundant by the chemical-resistant strain.

Growers and beekeepers are urging Australians to demand urgent government action and new research strategies before the nation's food security is permanently crippled.

Rick McFarlane, also known as the Backyard Beekeeper believes that many wrongly assume that the European honeybees will always be around to support farmers.

“They’re just not there any more,” he said.

“The one thing I ask everybody to do is just to make a bit of noise, write to parliament, and make them realise that the honeybee industry is our livelihood for human food consumption.”