Beekeepers Try To Catch Pollies With Honey In Fight Against Asian Honey Bee

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    YOU may be able to catch flies with honey but Australia’s beekeepers say they are having trouble luring politicians to a cause they say is vital to their survival.

    The Australian Honey Bee Association will distribute jars of honey across Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday in an attempt to draw attention to the threat posed to the industry by Asian honey bees.

    Chairman Lindsay Bourke said he would also meet with Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig to ask for funding to fight the apis cerana bee which has established itself in far north Queensland.

    Funding to eradicate the bee is due to end next month.

    Mr Bourke said if the bee wasn’t eradicated the effect on local apiarists, as well as crops which depended on European honey bees, for pollination would be devastating.

    “People don’t want to put their hand in their pocket because they don’t think its serious enough but its extremely serious,”

    “We really need to eradicate this for our food security. The Asian honey bee cannot pollinate our European plants.”

    He said the association believed the decision to cut the program was premature and had yet to see scientific evidence the bee could not be eradicated.

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    Beekeepers Try To Catch Pollies With Honey In Fight Against Asian Honey Bee