very informative ,including the introduction into Australia via the ports of Sydney and Brisbane , and the outbreak in Portugal .
.
What 'outbreak' in Portugal? Do you mean the finding (several years ago) of pre adult stages on queen cages from Texas? (Which should never have been there in the first place!)
SHB is a wonderful 'flag of convenience' for scaremongers and those who like to 'motivate' the inexperienced, and for anti import people.
I have said this many times before, but prime vector of spread of Aethina tumida is on fresh fruit and herbs, imported from South Africa, where the beastie is both native and widespread. Have a guess which country has imported most of THOSE over the last century and a half? The chances our country has not had SHB here before is very very small, plus if it was as invasive as people wind us up to believe, it has a land bridge to Europe, as do african honey bees. Both have had ample opportunity to spread. Circumstance just do not favour it.
Our climate and soil types are not those favoured by SHB. It only does well (from the beetles point of view) in higher temperatures, and in particular higher SOIL temperatures, than we get in this country. It MIGHT, with climate change, be able to exist (not prosper) in the south east of England but nowhere else. At this time even the Mediterranean is marginal.
Overblown scare, but it keeps the imports out from most third countries doesn't it? Also keeps people in a job justifying it by the fight against the exotic pests that are not here yet.
The Asian hornet is coming..........nothing you can do about that one. The north probably have no worries, as it may not go any further than the European Hornet which is absent in the north.
SHB probably no big deal if it does, would need changes in honeyhouse mamagement and comb storage IF it ever became established.
Tropilaelaps: Nasty brute, but does not really seem to be invasive in the way varroa was. Much more info needed before deciding whether to become more relaxed about it.
