MANY in the Hunter were likely unaware the varroa mite existed before its arrival was detected through Newcastle's port sentinel hives in June.
On Wednesday, the saga that has brought beekeeping to a screaming halt across the region and beyond reached a tipping point, with the final infected hives due to be euthanised. The NSW Department of Primary Industries said 97 of 99 properties with a confirmed infection had been euthanised, with Mayfield and Calga properties slated for later in the day.
Chief plant protection officer Dr Satendra Kumar said the government was "confident" they could eradicate the pest.
"There is a chance that the mites have been picked up by feral bees so we will have feral bee programs and once that is done we will have a regular monitoring program to know if we have achieved success or not," he told the Newcastle Herald in Civic Park on Wednesday.
"From day one I have said this is a difficult challenge and if you look across the globe a lot of places didn't even bother because by the time they got it, it was pretty widespread. Our focus in the first four weeks was to really be able to determine the limits of the spread. If it was found everywhere then obviously we would be out of the eradication and in the management frame.
"At this stage we are confident the mite is quite limited."
Confidence is one thing but, unfortunately, certainty is another.
It is certainty beekeepers want when they are playing a high-stakes game with their livelihoods, not to mention the economic and environmental ramifications that extend beyond their own bottom lines.
Of course none of this is lost on those who have been doing everything in their power to hive off the infected bees and stem a tide of losses due to Newcastle's serious varroa mite incursion. They all know no nation has successfully eradicated the pest.
Central Coast beekeeper Dolfi Benesh said this week there's no varroa in the dozens of hives he uses to produce honey near Wyong, but his operation hangs in the balance under rules that may prevent him starting back up again.
"After they kill my bees if I want to bounce back, which I can, I'm a professional beekeeper, they wouldn't allow me," he said. "I'm not allowed to get new bees in the same position for the next three years."
Mr Benesh is far from alone in counting the costs beyond that final euthanasia. While they might pale in comparison to varroa digging into the region permanently, the losses are unlikely to be easy for traders to handle following the pandemic, bushfires, floods and more disasters.
While state support is on offer, the beekeeping industry will need more than a sweetener regardless of which path the eradication effort has carved out for them. Either way, there is likely to be a heavy human cost.
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