THE Ovens Landcare Network’s first 'Sunday Session' will focus on Protecting Our Pollinators.

At the Beechworth Memorial Hall event, Agriculture Victoria apiary officer, Karla Williams will share a presentation on the threats towards pollinators and what we can do in our own patch.

One of the key threats that Ms Williams will share is the detection of the most serious pest affecting honeybees worldwide, Varroa Mite (Varroa destructor), which was detected in Victoria in August of this year.

Ovens Landcare support officer, Sally Martin, said she hopes the information session can help educate people more about what to do if they spot Varroa Mite in their area and can feel empowered with this knowledge.

“I want people to walk away not feeling overwhelmed when they hear what Varroa Mite is so they can keep an eye out on their own patch,” she said.

“If it does come to our area, they know what to expect and can keep those points of contact open with Agriculture Victoria for the future as well.”

Ms Martin said it’s important to have Ms Williams speak at the information session as she is an apiary officer currently based in Wodonga.

“Agriculture Victoria and apiary officers are the only ones with powers to act on Varroa Mite and Ms Williams is the local contact,” she said.

Previously, Ms Williams was also the only bee biosecurity officer in Tasmania with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania and coordinated the Tasmanian section of the National Bee Pest surveillance program.

Ms Williams will also be joined by local beekeeper Neil Padbury, who will share his perspectives on the topic and professor Sasha Mikheyev from Australian National University ‘s Bee Lab.

Mr Mikheyev will speak about the Australian Bee Observation Network (ABON) and citizen science where the local community can be come involved alongside one of his students from Canberra.

This is the first Sunday Session Ovens Landcare will be holding, thanks to the Victoria Landcare Grant, and Ms Martin said they hope to hold one every couple of months over the next year.

The event will take place on Sunday, December 1 from 10am to 2pm, with morning tea and lunch provided.

To book your tickets, visit https://events.humanitix.com/protecting-our-pollinators and for more information on the event, contact ovenslandcareincprojects@gmail.com.