Dec 5, 2005, 9:10 GMT
Sydney - It's only three years since the first arrivals from South Africa of a pest called the small hive beetle but researchers in Australia say local honeybees are proving no match for them.
'I was surprised at how big the problem is here,' said international expert Peter Neumann. 'We're getting the worst infestations I've seen anywhere in the world.'
Dr Neumann, a visiting fellow at the University of Western Sydney, is from the Institute for Zoology at Martin Luther University in Halle, Germany.
The speed with which the small hive beetle conquers honeybee colonies is astonishing. Led by Neumann, researchers set up a bee colony in Sydney and then introduced the beetle. Within a week, all the honeybees were dead.
Aethina tumida is around 6 millimetres in length and its chosen food is honey and pollen in bee colonies. An infestation means the destruction of the honeycomb.
In just 10 years, the beetle has popped up around the globe. It has made it to the Untied States and is also moving in on bee colonies in Canada, North Africa and Europe.
Neumann has studied infestations around the world.
'If we're going to fight this pest we must first understand its life cycle and behaviour in areas it has invaded,' he said. 'It's thought different climates, ecosystems and a lack of predators influences the beetle's impact on bee colonies.'
Australia is a prime place to study the beetle. 'We can conduct experiments here faster and get results sooner because the beetles are so prolific,' the German academic said.
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