South Island's acid test

I haven't gone away, you know ;-) Back to regular blogging shortly. Meantime:

New Zealand's South Island is about to undergo a huge varroa search: 22,000 hives will be tested for varroa over the next two months. There will be a focus on the top and the bottom of the island. Previous searches have focussed on areas around ports and airports. South Island is thought to be varroa-free, but this could be the acid test.