Beekeeper Damien Louttit says the spread of varroa mite has meant extra steps for beekeepers with both small and large operations as they manage their hives. Photo: Damien Louttit.
For the past 18 months, Damien Louttit has had extra duties tending to his hives at Broulee, on the NSW Far South Coast.
Each time, he’s carefully checking his three hives for the deadly varroa mite, a parasite that can kill a hive or colony if left untreated.
“You have to be more involved in the hive and you need to do it every six weeks,” he says.
“That’s the biggest inconvenience, I suppose.”
The mite was first identified in June 2022 in biosecurity hives near Newcastle. Before its detection, Australia was the only honey producing country free of the parasite.
While Australia initially tried an eradication approach, the government ultimately switched to managing its continued presence in the country after it spread across NSW.
As president of the Eurobodalla Amateur Beekeepers Club (the EABC), he says the group is arming itself with a natural, pesticide-free way to kill the parasite without harming their honey.
But first, they need to raise the money for a machine, called a Varroa Controller.
Damien says there are several major methods to fight varroa mites, one of which is pesticides.
While they are “the most successful way” to combat varroa mites, he says the method runs the risk of the mites developing resistance to the chemicals.
Instead, the EABC has turned to a machine that relies on heat to kill the mite.
“A significant number of the mites live on the bees, but the majority of them actually live in the hive,” he says.
“This treatment means you can heat the frames [from the hive] and then that will kill the mite, but not the developing bees.
“That’s a chemical-free treatment.”
A Eurobodalla Shire-based group is crowdfunding for a tool that will help fight the deadly varroa mite. Photo: Damien Louttit.
The EABC is looking to raise $6000, which would cover the cost of purchasing the Varroa Controller, in a fundraising campaign.
“We have some [grants for the cost] pending, but it’s a significant amount of money and there’s only about 60 members that we have so there’s a limited ability to raise funds,” Damien says.
“To raise the required $6000 was probably never going to happen through the club’s funds, so that was the most practical way.”
Since the campaign launched earlier this year, the group has raised just under $3000.
“There have been donations from members [of EABC] and the community – people who are interested in bees and also people who are interested in a pesticide-free life,” he says.
Once they reach their fundraising goal, Damien says the machine will be shared around Eurobodalla Shire beekeepers, with EABC members currently working on a plan for its use.
“The rate at which people have been contributing has been a bit of a shock to us, but it’s lovely to feel that we’re being supported,” he says.
“I have been surprised – we anticipated it would take longer than this [to raise what they had].”
The EABC’s fundraising appeal is being held on GoFundMe.
You can read more about the NSW Government’s response to varroa mite on the NSW Department of Primary Industries website.
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