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An imported mite, a deadly parasite of the honey bee has found its way into australia. Authorities have set up eradication zones and put hives across the region into a kind of lockdown. But how on earth do you keep bees from flying around, polinating and potentially spreading this deadly mit from hive to hive? And if you do manage it, what will it mean for Australia's almonds, avicadoes and melons?

The varroa mite, a deadly honeybee parasite, has finally found its way into Australia. Varroa destructor affects every other major beekeeping area in the world, damaging honeybees and transmitting viruses across hives. Now, in a fight to contain the mite, the state of New South Wales has destroyed 1,533 infected hives and implemented a statewide standstill on bee movement. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Cooper Schouten, a beekeper and researcher, about why the mite poses such a threat to honeybees, what it means to put bees into lockdown, and what impacts this biosecurity breech could have.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod