New line of defence for Australian honey bees

• Innovative miticide strip receives emergency and minor use approval from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA)
  
• Important biosecurity tool available due to collaborative effort across public and private sectors
  

Melbourne, Australia – 4 July 2016 – A new solution to help protect honey bees from deadly parasites that have reached every bee keeping continent except Australia has now been approved for emergency and minor use in Australia. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) approved the new miticide strip to be better prepared for a possible incursion of Varroa or tropilaelaps mites into Australia and allow a fast response, if needed.

The Mite Away Quick Strips® (MAQS®), developed by Canadian company NOD Apiary Products Ltd, are easy-to-use strips filled with formic acid, an organic compound naturally found in honey, in a plant-based sugar formulation. The biodegradable plastic strip, made from BASF’s ecoflex®, effectively kills the parasite without harming bees. Bee health is critical for beekeepers and farmers, and indirectly for everyone who depends on farm productivity for food.

“An incursion of Varroa or tropilaelaps mites into Australia would have significant impact on our honey bee population and the yields of a variety of pollination-reliant agricultural and horticultural crops,” says Alison Saunders from Plant Health Australia, the national coordinators of Australia’s government-industry partnership for plant biosecurity.

According to Ms Saunders the strips are an important biosecurity tool and a key weapon in the event of an incursion. “Quick response will be essential should one of these exotic pests make its way into Australia. That’s why we worked together with the Australian Government and BASF to have a solution approved before any incursion happens.”

The permits allow emergency use of the strips as well as use in the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program, which checks for new bee pests and pest bees at ports around Australia.

“Receiving the permit approval from the APVMA is the fruit of a fantastic collaboration across both public and private sectors,” stresses Melissa Palviainen from BASF’s Crop Protection division in Australia. “Through working closely with a group of government and industry bodies, we’ll now be able to minimise any impact to biosecurity, should Varroa or tropilaelaps mites reach our shores.”

The Australian Government is currently purchasing and importing the strips from NOD for storage in Canberra, enabling a quick and efficient response to Varroa or tropilaelaps mites, should they be detected in Australia.

About Plant Health Australia
Plant Health Australia (PHA) is the national coordinator of the government-industry partnership for plant biosecurity in Australia. The purpose of PHA is for government and industry to have a strong biosecurity partnership that minimises pest impacts on Australia, enhances market access and contributes to industry and community sustainability.

About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 112,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of more than €70 billion in 2015. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information at www.basf.com.