The varroa mite red zone in the Hunter has had to be expanded again after another infestation was found on a property.
Surveillance by Department of Primary Industries Biosecurity officers has identified two properties in the purple zone – one at Tumbi Umbi on the Central Coast and another at Mulbring near Cessnock in the Hunter.
With both of those properties being outside the red zone, it now has to be expanded meaning all bees and their hives in that new zone will have to be eradicated.
Response staff have now carried out surveillance on over 10,000 hives in the purple zone and almost 30,000 state-wide.
Beekeepers have tested over 85,000 hives.
There are now 106 properties that have been found to have varroa mite, the majority in the Hunter region since the first detection near the Port of Newcastle in June.