The Port of Townsville has joined forces with Biosecurity Queensland and the Purple Hive Project to monitor for the Varroa destructor pest, which could decimate bee populations and Australia’s agricultural industry. The Purple Hive Project is an initiative by Vimana Tech, supported by Bega Group.
At the Port of Townsville, artificial intelligence will be used to to scan honey bees for the pest Varroa destructor following the installation of Purple Hive Project (Purple Hive) technology. The pest was recently found in Australia for the first time, in New South Wales.
The Purple Hive project first launched in 2021 at the Port of Melbourne, using solar-powered ‘smart hives’, with Bega working alongside Agriculture Victoria as part of the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program to protect Australia’s honey bees from exotic pests and diseases.
Bees can enter Australia on vessels or in freight which can spread pests like Varroa destructor, which can kill off bees and in turn have a crippling effect on plants which require the pollinators to reproduce.
Port of Townsville general manager assets and environment Mark McNeil said Townsville was Australia’s largest sugar export port, and also handled significant sugar volumes at Lucinda Port, and was acutely aware of the importance of protecting the agriculture industry and its significant contribution to the region’s economy.
“The Port of Townsville has been identified as a critical partner for the Purple Hive Project as ports have been flagged as high-risk pathways for bee pests to enter Queensland.
“Townsville was at the forefront of the fight against Varroa mite following detections of Varroa jacobsoni in 2016, 2019 and 2020. While these incursions have been officially eradicated, we continue to work alongside Biosecurity Queensland to ensure Queensland remains varroa mite free," McNeil said.
Member for Mundingburra Les Walker said it was 'fantastic' to see the partnership being formed to help protect the region.
“We want to make sure Townsville and Queensland remains Varroa mite free which is why this project is important. Innovative ideas like this are essential because we know places like ports are potential entry points for pests,” Walker said.
Townsville’s Purple Hive Project installation comes in the lead up to World Bee Day on Saturday and is a first for Queensland, following the deployment of the Purple Hive in Victoria and one in New Zealand.
Vimana Tech chief technology officer Vignesh Murugan said following the detection of Varroa destructor in New South Wales, embracing new technologies like the artificially intelligent Purple Hive to detect the mite in real-time had never been more critical.
“From today, the Purple Hive is now actively monitoring for Varroa destructor at the Port of Townsville in real-time,” Mr Murugan said.
“The work on the Purple Hive Project continues thanks to the investment from Bega Group’s B honey and Vimana Tech, and we couldn’t be happier for the support of the Port of Townsville and Biosecurity Queensland for proactively installing this technology,” said Murugan.
Fifth generation beekeeper and Purple Hive Project Advisor Ian Cane, who has worked on the Purple Hive Project since its launch, said the hive would enable Townsville to quickly detect and address any potential Varroa destructor threat.
