澳大利亚养蜂人正敦促联邦政府放宽对有机瓦罗亚螨虫治疗药物的使用限制。[1]瓦罗亚螨虫是蜜蜂的致命寄生虫，已在南澳大利亚、维多利亚、新南威尔士州、首都领地和昆士兰等多州发现。[1]目前养蜂人每年仅被允许使用一次有机治疗，这一严格限制使依赖蜜蜂授粉的产业面临危机。[1]澳大利亚蜜蜂工业理事会首席执行官丹尼·勒费弗表示，蜜蜂每年为澳大利亚经济贡献142亿澳元。[1]
瓦罗亚螨虫疫情已对关键产业造成实质冲击。[1]一名商业杏仁种植者为应对蜂群损失，花费超过230万美元从西澳大利亚运来7500个健康蜂箱。[1]杏仁委员会首席执行官蒂姆·杰克逊指出，未来几个月南澳预计将有60000个蜂箱从州际运入。[1]面对疫情，联邦政府已承诺为国家瓦罗亚螨虫应对计划提供1亿澳元资金。[1]
Australian beekeepers are calling on the federal government to broaden access to organic varroa mite treatments as the parasitic pest continues to threaten the nation's honey production [1]. Varroa mites, which are lethal to bees, have been detected across multiple states including South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and Queensland [1]. The infestation was first detected in New South Wales in June 2022 and subsequently discovered in South Australia in September 2025 [1].
The crisis has prompted significant investment and concern across the agricultural sector. One commercial almond grower spent more than 2.3 million dollars importing 7,500 healthy hives from Western Australia to replace infected colonies [1]. According to the Australian Bee Industry Council's CEO Danny Lefèvre, honeybees contribute 14.2 billion Australian dollars annually to the nation's economy [1]. The Almond Board's chief executive Tim Jackson noted that South Australia is expected to receive 60,000 hives from interstate over the coming months [1].
Currently, beekeepers are permitted to use organic varroa mite treatments only once per year, a restriction that threatens crops dependent on bee pollination, including almonds [1]. While the federal government has committed 100 million Australian dollars to fund a national varroa mite response plan, beekeepers are pressing for greater flexibility in accessing organic treatment options to combat the infestation more effectively [1].