Bee mites could devastate Hawaii crops
By Sean Hao
Advertiser Staff Writer
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A diminutive insect could have a big impact on Hawai'i farmers who depend on bees to pollinate their crops.
Bee-killing varroa mites, which were first detected in O'ahu hives last April, could cost farmers $42 million to $62 million a year, if they wipe out the state's bee population, according to a preliminary estimate by the state Department of Agriculture. On O'ahu, which so far is the only island where the mites have been found, crop losses could range from $10 million to $15 million a year, under the department's worst-case scenario.
The figures represent the first attempt by state officials to determine how the mites could impact Hawai'i's nearly $500 million agriculture sector. The varroa mite is considered one of the most serious honey bee pests and is found across much of the world. Hawai'i had been one of the few places where the mite had not been detected. So far the mite isn't impacting yields at the 300-acre Kahuku Farms, which relies on bees to pollinate mango, eggplant and papaya.
"It's a concern, but I haven't seen any impact on our part yet," said Clyde Fukuyama, a partner at Kahuku Farms.
Crops susceptible to a loss of bees include cucumbers, tomatoes, melons and other produce that require bee pollination.
The agriculture department's estimate assumes Hawai'i's wild bee population is eradicated and that no managed bee colonies are available to pollinate crops.
This spring the department is planning to spend $52,000 conducting a more thorough estimate of the economic impact of the varroa mite on the agriculture industry. State lawmakers appropriated $650,000 last summer to control and mitigate the mite.
Measures taken to control the mite include:
The department plans to expand that to a three-mile buffer. The buffer is created by the removing or destroying all feral and managed bee hives and via outreach and education of port authorities and workers.
Other markets with varroa mite have experienced as much as a 90 percent elimination of wild bees, but never a complete eradication, said Neil Reimer, plant pest control branch manager at the Department of Agriculture. State officials don't have a firm data on Hawai'i's bee population; however, there's no evidence that wild bee populations are down, Reimer said.
"We haven't seen that, but we haven't been out collecting the data," he said. "It's all conjecture at this point."
"We're still finding feral colonies. They're still out there."
Beekeepers such as Michael Kliks contend the state isn't doing enough to suppress the mite by destroying and replacing bee hives. Kliks, president of the Hawai'i Beekeepers' Association, said he's heard anecdotal reports of fewer bees on O'ahu.
"We're going to see a major drop-off in (farm) production here soon,"Kliks said. "I just don't know if the state is monitoring it."
Kliks said the state is underestimating the potential impact of the mite.
"It may not totally eradicate (Hawai'i's bees), but they're going to take 90 to 95 percent of them and ultimately, if we don't replenish, they'll kill them all," he said.
The varroa mite is reddish brown in color, with an oval and flattened shape. It is about the size of a pinhead and can be detected with the unaided eye.
The mites have piercing and sucking mouthparts and feed on the blood of honey bee adults, larvae and pupae. The mites weaken adult bees and cause emerging bees to be deformed. The mites are spread from hive to hive through bee contact.
It is not known how the mites were introduced into O'ahu, though infested ships and shipments of bees through Hawai'i are possible sources. Now that the mites are on O'ahu, it may be a matter of time before they spread to other islands. The best the state can do is slow the spread of the mite, Reimer said.
"The reality is things move between islands, and if we move things between islands, we're going to be moving pests," he said. "It's likely it's going to show up on another island at some point. It might be a hundred years from now, but once it gets into the islands, history shows things move around."
Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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