Qld Department of Primary Industries regional project officer Ian Rodger welcomed the news that test results were negative for mites.

“Asian honey bees have the potential to carry exotic mites that are destructive if they get into commercial and hobbyist bee hives,” Mr Rodger said.

“The negative result is consistent with test results on Asian honey bee nests detected and destroyed last year.

“We hope this means the recent nest and swarm detected in the Green Hill area three weeks ago are related to last year’s incursion and are not part of a separate incursion.

“We are awaiting DNA test results from CSIRO and the University of Sydney that we hope will confirm this.”

DPI&F counted the bees from both the nest destroyed on July 31 and the swarm destroyed on August 1 to determine how large a nest needed to be before it might swarm.

* If anybody in the Cairns area, from the northern beaches and south to Gordonvale, sees a suspicious bee nest or unusual bee activity, please contact the DPI&F urgently on 13 25 23.