Biosecurity officers ponder mass destruction of bees

Up to 4 million honeybees could be killed if biosecurity officials decide to attempt a world-first eradication of the varroa bee mite.

While no decision has yet been made on whether eradication is possible at Nelson, where the mite was discovered last month, methods for killing the bees include gassing or blocking up hives and killing them with petrol fumes.

It would be an emotional time for beekeepers. "They become attached to their hives just as farmers are attached to their stock," said Biosecurity New Zealand policy analyst Paul Bolger.

The chairman of Federated Farmers' bee industry group, Lin McKenzie, said he estimated there were between 6000 and 8000 hives in the infestation zone.

In late summer, individual hives can number as many as 50,000 bees and in winter as few as 15,000.

That means anywhere from around 1 million to 4 million honeybees would need to be killed, not counting unregistered hives and wild bees.

Biosecurity staff, beekeepers, scientists and industry organisations meet tomorrow in a key step in deciding whether to spend up to $12 million to wipe out the mite at Nelson, where 41 sites are infected.

No recommendation would be made to the meeting.

The mite was discovered in Auckland in 2000 but had likely been there for at least two years, making eradication unfeasible. The South Island had been free of the mite until the discovery of infected hives at Stoke, near Nelson.

Biosecurity estimates that, if left to spread, varroa could cost South Island beekeepers between $198 million and $434 million over the next three decades.