Homeowner moves quickly to eradicate Asian Honey Bee swarm in Port Douglas
UNWANTED BEES
A large swarm of Asian Honey Bees discovered in a disused cubbyhouse in Port Douglas has prompted the homeowner to quickly get rid of the pests.
Scott Collins said he found the bee swarm and their large hive while inspecting the old timber kids’ cubbyhouse after recently purchasing the property.
The bees had built the hive in an inside wall of the structure.
He quickly contacted the Cairns & District Beekeepers Association which advised him to get rid of the exotic species.
“They advised us they were the Asian variety, considered a pest and to spray them with wasp spray at night,” Mr Collins said.
Officially in a large area in and around Cairns, including most of Douglas Shire called a ‘known infested area’ for Asian honey bees, infestations do not need to be reported to Biosecurity Queensland.
Instead, official advice for anyone coming across an infestation is to contact a pest controller.
Asian honey bees are pests in Australia because they may compete with European honey bees, which play an important role in large scale agricultural pollination and provide beeswax and honey to the domestic and export market.
The pest bees are also natural hosts for varroa mites which, if they are spread by the Asian variety, could cause severe losses in European honey bee colonies.
Asian honey bees tend to nest in small cavities such as letterboxes and garden sheds in urban areas, so there is a high risk of contact with people.
They are a stinging bee and will sting if disturbed.
For advice on how to identify the Asian bees and distinguish them from the European honey bees, go to:
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/niche-industries/bees-beekeeping/beekeeping/identifying-asian-honey-bees
There are other handy facts about the bees at:
https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/92903/AHB-fact-sheet.pdf
If you need further help identifying the bees, you can also send pictures to the Cairns & District Beekeepers Association Facebook page.
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