Pest will harm Aussie bees
The research confirms the worst fears of Australia's honeybee industry, showing none of the studied bee species had resistance to the Varroa mite. Image: temmuzcan/iStockphoto The worst fears of Australia's honeybee industry have been realised, with new research confirming that Australian honeybees are highly susceptible to a pest that hasn't yet reached our shores but will potentially devastate the honeybees when it does.A research project carried out jointly by the University of Sydney's School of Biological Sciences and the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture evaluated seven lines of Australian bees and found that none had any resistance to the Varroa mite."The research confirms that an incursion of this pest would have catastrophic effects on bee populations and those industries that rely on them for pollination," Ben Oldroyd, a professor in behavioural genetics at the University of Sydney, said."If the Australian honeybee industry and honeybee dependent crops are...