Beekeepers across the eradication zone are questioning why the NSW Department of Primary Industries would enforce a blanket euthanasia policy in the fight against the varroa mite.
One of those is Paterson farmer Julia Wokes. Her hives were euthanised at the end of September but they were not infected with the varroa mite.
Many other uninfected hives within this zone have faced the same fate and beekeepers like Ms Wokes want to know why a more considered approach was not taken.
"Why weren't they waiting two weeks to see if there were any more infected, and if there weren't then waiting another two weeks and checking again, and doing that again in another two weeks? It seems like the clever thing to do," she said.
A NSW Department of Primary Industries spokeswoman said the response was governed by the federal Biosecurity Act 2015 and was based on several years of planning between "all jurisdictions, the Commonwealth, Plant Health Australia and the bee industry".
"The goal of the varroa mite response is the full eradication of the parasite from NSW," the spokeswoman said.
"Euthanising uninfected hives means we are removing any chance of varroa mite surviving and spreading undetected through potential future hosts, where incubation of the parasite may be happening.
"All honey bees in the red zone must be euthanised, to achieve the aim of full eradication of varroa mite."
Ms Wokes said it was unlikely her hives would have become infected, considering they had remained mite free since the outbreak was detected in sentinel hives at the Port of Newcastle in June.
"After three months since it was first detected my hives were still clean, and so were the hives at Tocal. There were plenty of hives around that were not infected," she said.
The eradication zone, also known as the red zone, spans from Clarence Town to Martins Creek, Aberglasslyn, Farley, Buchanan, Toronto, Belmont, The Branch and Tea Gardens.
There are six other red zones across NSW where hives are also being destroyed. The NSW DPI estimates about 70 per cent of managed honeybee hives within the red zones have already been euthanised.
Baiting of wild honeybee hives started in Jerrys Plains last week, which is within a separate red zone. Baiting will soon begin within the eradication zone that includes the Maitland area.
The spokeswoman said native bees were not affected by the bait but it was recommended that they be moved out of the eradication zone when baiting started.
"Communities in the baiting area will be notified of the time when baiting occurs in the neighbourhood," she said.
Ms Wokes approached Hunter Local Land Services and asked them to research the impact that the loss of honeybees in this area was having on agriculture and horticulture.
"It's a bizarre feeling to walk about the farm and not hear any bees buzzing," she said.
"What's going to happen next year? The clover is in flower and normally the bees are buzzing all over it but there's silence now. Will I still get a crop of clover next year? There's all these things that we need to know and we're not being communicated with and informed."
The NSW DPI said there can be no honeybees within the eradication zone for three years from the time of the last detection of the mite.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Scroll down to comment.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Newcastle Herald website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
