<
https://theconversation.com/native-pollinators-need-more-support-than-honeybees-in-australia-heres-why-273238>
"Late last year, the New South Wales government announced an additional A$9.5
million in funding to support honeybee keepers in the wake of the 2022 arrival
and subsequent spread of the Varroa mite.
Varroa mites attack honeybee larvae, reducing and even destroying entire
colonies. This impacts honey production and the crop pollination services
provided by honeybees.
However, the honeybee is not native to Australia. It’s an introduced species
that has routinely escaped hives and gone feral, negatively impacting our
native animals and biodiversity in general.
The new funding follows $58.4 million already spent by the NSW government in
relation to the Varroa mite. It’s part of an ongoing trend of millions being
spent on this exotic bee and pollination services to exotic crops, while
largely neglecting the native plant-pollinator interactions that existed prior
to European colonisation.
While some government and non-government funding is starting to look into
alternative pollinators, thousands of Australian bee species and other native
pollinators don’t enjoy nearly the same support as European honeybees. Native
biodiversity is on the brink – but there’s work we can do to stop this."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
