What to look for
Red Dwarf Honey Bees are characterised by their external nesting habits. Their nest is made up of an exposed single horizontal comb less than 30 centimetres wide that is built around and attached to tree branches or other support, including buildings and shipping containers.
Current situation
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is undertaking a range of surveillance and other activities to track down and eradicate the exotic pest Red Dwarf Honey Bee (Apis florea) from the Burrup Peninsula near Karratha.
Red Dwarf Honey Bees can be a vector for exotic bee pests, including brood diseases, internal and external mites, and bee viruses.
The department is working closely with a range of key stakeholders including Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, Woodside and Pilbara Ports and is calling on the community, beekeepers and land managers to monitor their area for any unusual bees or nests.
Distribution
Red Dwarf Honey Bees are native to Asia, commonly found in tropical areas. The Dwarf Honey Bee is naturally distributed from the Indian subcontinent throughout Southeast Asia through to the Malaysian peninsula.
Impact
Red Dwarf Honey Bees are social bees which live in colonies of at least 3,000 insects. They migrate, swarm, and abscond readily, making them a major threat for exotic incursions and to the Australian environment.
One of the major risks for Australia is that Red Dwarf Honey Bee (Apis florea) is host to a range of bee brood diseases, parasites, and viruses such as Deformed Wing Virus, that may impact European Honey Bees.
The Red Dwarf Honey Bee can carry Euvarroa mite (Euvarroa sinhai) a close relative to the destructive Varroa mites. The species can also carry Tropilaelaps mites (Tropilaelaps clareae) which is a known pest of European Honey Bees. Red Dwarf Honey Bees may also compete with other bees for floral resources.
Quarantine Area
A Quarantine Area has been declared for the Burrup Peninsula in the Pilbara to support a biosecurity response to eradicate Red Dwarf Honey Bee. Bee keepers with hives, equipment or those who have collected swarms, any nests or objects attached to nests on the peninsula are not permitted to move them outside the Quarantine Area to prevent the pest from spreading.
Affected bee keepers are asked to contact DPIRD’s Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS) to advise of hives in the area. Workers, residents, businesses and visitors to the Quarantine Area are required to report observations of unusual bees to the PaDIS hotline or via the department’s MyPestGuide® Reporter app to support surveillance.
Comparison: European Honey Bee and
Red Dwarf Honey Bee
Image caption: Left - European Honey Bee, Right - Red Dwarf Honey Bee.
The pest is easily distinguished from European Honey Bees by their small size in comparison, being just 7-10 millimetres in length. They have a red/brown abdomen with black and white bands.
Look for unusual bees that look smaller than European Honey Bees or colonies with exposed combs.
Members of the public and workers in the area are encouraged to report sightings of any exotic bees in the area to assist in ensuring no further Red Dwarf Honey Bees are present.
If you work at a port or transport imported goods and shipping containers, you must report any sighting of bees associated with these goods. Exotic bees are a pathway for bee pests and viruses so they must be reported.
Please report the locations of wild European Honey Bee nests using the contact details above.
Beekeepers
Beekeepers in the Karratha region, including the Burrup Peninsula, are encouraged to report the location of their apiaries to assist with surveillance. Managed European honey bee hives can be reported via the form below or by calling the Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS) on (08) 9368 3080.