Australia’s bee population is now dealing with a deadly parasite.

Almond growers are facing multi-million dollar losses because of a shortage of bee hives due to varroa mite restrictions, according to the industry’s peak body. There are also concerns surrounding honey production.

Almond Board of Australia chief executive Tim Jackson says growers face significant losses because of a ban on NSW hives being moved into Victoria coinciding with the start of the pollination season.

The ban could lead to a fall in almond production of 30,000 tonnes, costing the industry enormous sums.

“It’s potentially a multi-million dollar loss,” Jackson told AAP.

So why is the ban in place?

It has everything to do with varroa mite – a deadly parasite that affects honeybees. And with multiple cases of the parasite in NSW hives, Victoria made the difficult decision to halt hives moving between states to avoid an outbreak.

Victoria grows 60 per cent of the country’s almonds, while the industry had hoped to produce 165,000 tonnes across Australia this year, which would have been its first billion dollar crop.

“There’s a lot of anxiety around what reduced crop potential this is going to create,” Jackson said.

After touring regional Victoria last week, he says the ban on NSW bees entering the state has left Victorian growers short of 50,000 hives, one-third of the total needed. Talks broke down between the industry and Victorian officials late last week.

“There is a refusal from Victoria to allow NSW bees in,” Jackson said. “We have been unable to broker any sort of compromise or solution that would allow enough bees situated in NSW back into Victoria for this year’s pollination.”

The varroa mite was discovered near Newcastle, north of Sydney on June 22, sparking a biosecurity lockdown on the movement of hives across several states.

It has since spread to 79 premises throughout NSW with several biosecurity zones set up around Newcastle, the Central Coast, north coast and in the state’s north and northwest. 

Jackson says growers are frustrated by a lack of a coordinated approach between the states. Queensland, South Australia and Victoria all have restrictions in place on the movement of bees from NSW.

No permits are currently being granted to NSW beekeepers to move their bees into Victoria, but authorities say they’re continuing to monitor events and will reconsider permits as the risk eases.

A spokesperson for Agriculture Victoria says authorities are doing all they can to keep the mite out.

“While the NSW government is still delimiting the extent of the spread of varroa in NSW, we need to take a precautionary approach to ensure we protect Victoria’s agricultural sector, beekeepers, regional communities and businesses.”

Jackson is calling for state borders to be open to the relocation of hives under the same restrictions as within NSW, which allows movement in low-risk areas with a permit and under strict supervision.

With AAP.

This week, the new US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy – who is also the daughter of former US President John F. Kennedy – went to the Solomon Islands.

She was there to pay tribute to the 80th anniversary of the battle of Guadalcanal, a brutal seven-month land, sea and air fight during World War II between allied and Japanese forces.

Her dad JFK fought in World War II and particularly in this battle. 

He narrowly escaped death thanks to the help of two locals from the Solomon Islands – their names were Eroni Kumana and Biuku Gasa.

At great personal risk, Kumana and Gasa took a coconut, on which Kennedy had written an account asking for help and his location, back to the Australia coast watcher they were working with. He was then able to be rescued, thanks to the efforts of these two locals. 

When JFK later became the US President in 1961, he invited Kumana and Gasa to his inauguration. JFK was later assassinated in 1963, and Kumana and Gasa died in 2014 and 2005.

Caroline Kennedy was able to meet Kumana and Gasa’s loved ones, and presented them with a replica of a coconut husk on which her father had written his distress message. 

“I am so grateful you came here today so I could say thank you and one day I would like to bring my children to continue the relationship,” she said. 

After a tense week of great power rivalry around Taiwan, Caroline Kennedy and @DeputySecState Wendy Sherman visited Guadalcanal for the 80th anniversary of a key WWII battle. Both their fathers nearly died in Solomon Islands. An emotional day of diplomacy. https://t.co/KO5emGI5sp

— Damien Cave (@damiencave) August 7, 2022

Do you find the news cycle overwhelming? Depressing? Confusing? Boring? Endless? Then you need The Quicky. Mamamia’s daily podcast that gets you up to speed on the top stories.

Listen to tonight’s headlines below:

The Masked Singer is back and the first celeb has removed their costume head (or in this case, torso) to reveal themselves as an Aussie TV icon.

Plus, Britney Spears’ ex-husband Kevin Federline has sat down for his first interview in a decade, discussing where he stands on Britney’s conservatorship and their sons’ relationships with their mother. Now we need to talk about the suspicious timing of his re-emergence.

And the world’s most talked about celebrity couple have broken up. Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have called it quits after nine months, so we run through all the theories surrounding the split, including the story the Kardashians will be very pleased it helped bury.

Listen to The Spill below:

Morning all, 

Welcome to you live news feed for Monday, August 8.

Here are the top five news stories you need to know this morning. 

1. Australia wins 1000th Commonwealth Games gold medal in netball. 

Australia has won our 1000th Commonwealth Games gold medal after the Diamonds beat out Jamaica in the netball finals. 

The Diamonds, who lost to Jamaica earlier in the competition, became the first team in history to win gold after losing in the group stages of the games, claiming a 55-51 victory. 

WE’VE DONE IT!

The Australian Diamonds have won gold🥇

Well done to @NetballJamaica on a fantastic tournament 👏#GoDiamonds #ShineBright #BoldInGold | @CommGamesAUS pic.twitter.com/alTSTsXEue

— Australian Diamonds (@AussieDiamonds) August 7, 2022

Australia earlier won gold when the women's cricket team beat out India in the women's T20.

Over in athletics, Peter Bol took home silver in the 800m final and Brooke Buschkuehl won silver in the women's long jump. 

2. Judith Durham to be farewelled in state funeral.

The family of singer Judith Durham have accepted an offer from the Victorian government for a state funeral to honour her life.

The Seekers' singer died in palliative care on Friday night aged 79 after complications arising from a long-standing lung disease.

"I've spoken with Judith Durham's family today and I'm pleased they have accepted the offer of a State Funeral to honour the life and contribution of a true icon of Australian music," Premier Daniel Andrews said last night. 

She was the most unlikely of pop stars, and yet while fronting 'The Seekers' Judith Durham took the world by storm, while always remaining staunchly Australian.

After a long battle with ill health she has died at the age of 79. @lizziepearl #9News pic.twitter.com/TEjhmL8iWe

— 9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) August 6, 2022

Durham made her first recording at 19, and achieved worldwide fame after joining The Seekers in 1963. The group of four became the first Australian band to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and United States, eventually selling 50 million records.

Durham embarked on a solo career in 1968, recording with The Seekers again in the 1990s.

Tributes have flowed for the beloved singer, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailing Durham as "a national treasure and an Australian icon".

"Judith Durham gave voice to a new strand of our identity and helped blaze a trail for a new generation of Aussie artists," he said on Twitter.

A national treasure and an Australian icon, Judith Durham gave voice to a new strand of our identity and helped blaze a trail for a new generation of Aussie artists.

Her kindness will be missed by many, the anthems she gave to our nation will never be forgotten.

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) August 6, 2022

A date for the state funeral will be set soon.

3. Taiwan prepares air-raid shelters as tensions with China rise. 

Taiwan has been preparing more than 4600 air-raid shelters - to accommodate 12 million people, more than four times its population - as tensions with China escalate.

China considers Taiwan its territory and has increased military activity in the air and seas around it ever since a visit by US Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

They've carried out a fourth consecutive day of military drills despite international calls to calm the tensions.

.@JacquiLambie has described China shooting 11 ballistic missiles over Taiwan as "kids in a creche having a fit". #9Today | WATCH LIVE 5.30am pic.twitter.com/EMbsXHnfWc

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) August 7, 2022

Taiwan's defence ministry said it detected a total of 66 Chinese aircraft and 14 Chinese warships conducting joint naval and air exercises around the Taiwan Strait. 

In response, Taiwan deployed air reconnaissance patrols, naval ships, and shore-based missiles, and said that it will continue to closely monitor the situation.

4. Man to face court today for QLD mass shooting.

Local farmer Darryl Young, 59, will face court today on three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder following a mass shooting that left three people dead in Queensland.

Young has been charged with murdering his neighbours, Mervyn Schwarz, 71, his wife Maree, 59, and her son Graham Tighe, 35, after open firing on a rural cattle property at Bogie, northwest of Mackay about 9am on Thursday. 

The neighbours reportedly had a long-running dispute about boundary lines at their properties.

Alleged triple murderer Darryl Young had his gun licence taken off him by police but he successfully appealed the ban to keep using his rifles and shotguns https://t.co/ibum6nGXuV

— The Courier-Mail (@couriermail) August 7, 2022

Maree's other son, Ross Tighe, survived the attack and called police after fleeing into remote bushland with a gunshot wound to his stomach. 

He was later airlifted to Mackay Base Hospital on Friday, and is now "up an about", his family told 9News.

5. Biden leaves White House for first time after contracting COVID-19 last month.

US President Joe Biden has left the White House for the first time in 18 days since becoming infected with COVID-19.

The president tested negative Saturday and Sunday, according to his doctor, clearing the way for him to emerge from an isolation that lasted longer than expected because of a rebound case of the virus.

"I'm feeling great," Biden said before boarding the Marine One aircraft outside the White House yesterday. 

Ending his most recent COVID-19 isolation, President Joe Biden on Sunday left the White House for the first time since becoming infected with COVID-19https://t.co/9bQSP5PL4F

— TIME (@TIME) August 7, 2022

The 79-year-old originally tested positive on July 21, and he began taking the anti-viral medication Paxlovid, which is intended to decrease the likelihood of serious illness from the virus.

Biden has reunited with first lady Jill Biden in their home state of Delaware.

That's it, you're all up to speed. We'll be back to bring you more of the top stories throughout the day. 

- With AAP.

Last month, thousands of athletes from all around the world, including 430 Australians flocked to Birmingham, England for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. 

They swum, ran, cycled and kicked their way into a very strong medal tally. 

But, what's it really like to be competing in the green and gold? 

In this episode, we speak to Charlotte Caslick, co-captain of the women's rugby 7's team who made her way back to Australia last week with a gold medal around her neck, and former Aussie Boomer Damian Martin, who won gold in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, to find out what life in the village and on the playing fields is like.

Feature Image: Getty.