Hawaii declares 'crisis exemption' in battle against Varroa bee mite

摘要

Residents in the Hilo-area are being advised not to eat honey gathered from feral hives during the next three weeks, due to the use of an insecticide that will be used to eradicate the varroa mites (Varroa destructor) on honey bees during this period.Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) notified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today that it is declaring a "crisis exemption" that would allow the department to use approximately 200 baiting stations containing very low concentrationsof an insecticide, fipronil, to eradicate honey bees carrying varroa mites within a five-mile radius of Hilo Harbor. HDOA staff will be collecting and destroying feral hives that they are able to locate. As an extra precaution, residents in the eradication zone are being advised not to eat any honey collected from wild hives.