Varroa In New Zealand - Update - 163 Positive Finds So Far.

New Zealand's Ministry of Agriculture said the varroa mite now has been found in nine properties in the controled area in South Auckland and two properties outside of the controled area are suspected of having the mite. The long-shot chance of eradicating the mite received a setback with the news one of the properties suspected of having the mite is well away from Auckland and in the Bay of Plenty and the other in the South Island. One property confirmed as having the mite is a commercial beekeeping operation - with about 90 hives at two locations - selling honey bees throughout New Zealand, A trace back of live bees from the commercial property led the ministry to a property in Otago in the South Island. A commercial apiary at Opotiki in the Bay of Plenty that had bought bees from Auckland reported signs of Varroa infestation but the mite has yet to be confirmed. Bees from the apiary were recently exported to Canada. The ministry's International Animal Trade section is following this up with the Canadian authorities. The ministry now has inspected 21 apiaries with a total of 660 hives checked. Of these, 163 hives were found positive on nine properties. All the South Auckland apiaries are within a 12-mile radius. The ministry tripled its number of field teams with about 40 staff inspecting the South Auckland controled area. Their priority is to work further out from the control area center to establish a varroa-free area. Apistan strips now are being used after a successful trial. The Pesticides Board fast-tracked approval for the use of Apistan which is not registered for use in New Zealand. It will not be available for sale and can only be used under ministry control. Alan Harman reporting.