Honey Crop Threatened by Parasite; None Found in L.A.

The Varroa mite, an Asian parasite threatening the nation’s honey crop, is not likely to infest the apiaries of the 300 beekeepers throughout Los Angeles County.

The mite, discovered in Wisconsin last September, has spread to 11 states, forcing agriculture officials to jeopardize this year’s honey crop by placing quarantines on hives and limiting the movement of bees from state to state.

Although two mites have been found in California--both in Madera County--none have been located in Los Angeles County, said Mike Pearson, the county’s bee inspector.

Pearson said the two mites were discovered during an inspection completed Jan. 15 of 22,000 beehives throughout the state.

Inspections Expected

“Any hives that come from out of state are expected to be inspected upon arrival,” Pearson said.

The mites have already infested hives in Florida, Mississippi, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.

The pinhead-sized parasite attaches itself to bees and attacks their larvae. They also infest honeycombs, where they lay eggs and eat pupae. If allowed to fester, bee experts said, the mites could destroy 90% of the nation’s honeybees and cause a loss of about $109 million annually.

Walt McBride, a Simi Valley beekeeper, knows the potential danger that could strike his 125 colonies.

McBride, a retired General Telephone employee, has been selling honey for the last 15 years. A threat to his hives is a threat to his income.

“It will cause a serious problem if it goes untreated,” McBride said.

In 1986, more than 211,000 beekeepers, of whom about 200,000 are hobbyists, produced about 200 million pounds of honey valued at $103.1 million, according to the National Honey Board, a Longmont, Colo., agency formed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for honey research.

“It’s nothing to be taken lightly, but on the other hand, I don’t think consumers need to wring their hands,” said Dan Hall, a Honey Board spokesman.

No Price Rise in ’88

Hall said honey prices are not expected to rise this year, in part because of a 20% increase in honey production last year. “There are good honey supplies in the pipeline now,” he said.

California ranks about even with Florida and South Dakota behind North Dakota for the nation’s honey crown. North Dakota produced more than 31 million pounds in 1986, contrasted with about 20 million pounds for the other three major honey-producing states.

“The situation right now is causing some serious problems because most of our commercial beekeeping is migratory in nature. A number of states have already placed embargoes,” said Frank Robinson, a spokesman for the American Beekeeping Federation in Gainesville, Fla.

Robinson said embargoes are in place in Florida and eight other states preventing bees in those states from leaving.

In late January, the federal Environmental Protection Agency gave emergency approval to the use of fluvalinate, a mitacide that has proven effective against the mite without harming the bees.

The chemical, produced by a division of the Swiss conglomerate Sandoz Corp., is applied to a plastic strip marketed by Zoecon Corp. of Dallas.