New mite threatens beekeeping

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Authors
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
Date
1995
Language
en
Type
News Item
Accessibility
Open Access
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Citation
CTA. 1995. New mite threatens beekeeping. Spore 55. CTA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Permanent link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10568/49566
Internet URL: http://collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Jcta55e/
Abstract/Description
A tiny mite, called Tropilaelaps, is threatening bee colonies on the island of Irian Jaya and in Papua New Guinea. The only way to rid the island of the pest is to eradicate all bee colonies. This drastic action is being recommended by...
Notes
A tiny mite, called Tropilaelaps, is threatening bee colonies on the island of Irian Jaya and in Papua New Guinea. The only way to rid the island of the pest is to eradicate all bee colonies. This drastic action is being recommended by entomologists from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Tropilaelaps clareae was first identified in 1961. It has spread from the island of Java where it infested the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) to Irian Jaya in the early 1980's. Now it is gradually spreading eastwards into Papua New Guinea in feral colonies of the European bee altrough, as yet, it has not reached the primary beekeeping areas. For the moment the Asian bee (Apis cerana) remains free of infestation. The CSIRO entomologists have been studying the pest for the last four years and have found it to be very destructive to the European honey bee. In Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea it does not appear to have an alternative host. This means that all the feral colonies of the European honey bee will be killed by the mite in time. Entomologists argue that the most effective strategy to rid the islands of the pest is to destroy all the European honey bee colonies and then after a period of two years new, clean colonies can be introduced to restock. Division of Entomology CSIRO Canberra AUSTRALIA
Subjects
CROP PRODUCTION AND PROTECTION;
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