Varroa mite - frequently asked questions

Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) is a serious, exotic parasite of adult European honey bees and their brood. It weakens and kills honey bee colonies and can also transmit honeybee viruses.

Varroa destructor is a distinctive-looking small mite, around 1 mm in diameter.

Mites are easily identifiable to the naked eye and are a reddish-brown colour.

Detailed descriptions are available on the About Varroa mite of honey bees page.

The mites are very mobile and readily transfer between adult bees.

Varroa mites spread between colonies and apiaries when hive components, infested brood and adult bees are interchanged during normal apiary management practices.

The transport of hives used beekeeping equipment and queen bees by beekeepers is also a very effective means of spread. In Australia, the spread of Varroa mite is expected to be fast over long distances because of the migratory nature of the beekeeping industry.

Foraging and drifting bees and swarms can also spread Varroa mite. In the case of foragers, mites can move from the bee to a flower and then hitch a ride with another bee or insect visiting the same flower.

Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) was reported in sentinel hives at the Port of Newcastle in New South Wales (NSW) on Friday 24 June 2022. The detection was the result of routine surveillance on sentinel hives by NSW Bee Biosecurity Officers.

Varroa mite has since been detected at multiple sites across NSW.

The National Management Group has agreed that the eradication of Varroa mite is no longer technically feasible; we now need to work collaboratively to manage and minimise its impact.

Read more on the NSW Department of Primary Industries website.

Keep up to date with the latest NSW Varroa mite Emergency Response FAQs page.

Varroa mite is not currently present in Victoria.

Following the National Management Group meeting on 19 September, the Victorian Government will join other Australian states, territories and industries to transition from eradication to management of Varroa destructor.

With active contribution from industry and government stakeholders, a National Varroa Mite Transition to Management Plan was developed by the Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests (CCEPP), this plan was finalised by the National Management Group on 13 February 2024.  The plan has a strong focus on education and engagement activities to help build industry resilience and contains measures aimed at slowing the spread of the pest.

The Victorian response will be consistent with the agreed national Transition to Management Plan that has been developed.

Agriculture Victoria is working with key beekeeping industry bodies and interstate agencies to ensure appropriate and consistent responses.

Agriculture Victoria has established biosecurity measures to reduce the likelihood of spread of Varroa mite.

As the Transition to Management Plan progresses, please note the Control Area Order requiring a permit for all movements of bees and bee products into Victoria  will remain in place. This will ensure that we slow the spread of Varroa mite into Victoria.

This includes requiring permits for any movement of bees, hives, used beekeeping equipment and bee products from interstate, except New South Wales (NSW).

Victoria is continuing to assess the risks associated with any movements to support the issuing of movement permits.

For the latest control measures visit the Varroa mite – current situation

Varroa mite has not been found in Victoria and surveillance for early detection remains our key focus at this time.

Bees are vital pollinators for many agricultural and horticultural crops. Starting in July each year there is a mass movement of hives from Queensland (QLD), NSW, South Australia (SA) and within Victoria to the Sunraysia region for the almond pollination season.

Through the Transition to Management program, Agriculture Victoria will work with industry and government partners to implement strategies to reduce the impacts to our industries.

Registered beekeepers can apply for a permit on the Beekeeper permits page.

Beekeepers should create a BeeMAX account if they do not already have one.

Upon submitting your application, an Authorised Officer will assess the application. Approved applications will be signed and you will be sent a copy of the permit.

A copy of the permit must travel with the items/load listed on the permit and copies of permits and records must be kept for the timeframe specified on the permit.

A reminder that existing certification requirements for moving bees, hives, used beekeeping equipment and bee products into Victoria still apply. For information about health certificate, see Moving bees interstate.

An application for a permit can also be made through the Customer Contact Centre on 136 186 or email honeybee.permits@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

Beekeepers registered in any state or territory may apply for a permit.

There are 2 types of permits for moving hives into Victoria:

• If your hives have not spent any time in the last 24 months in a state or territory with Varroa, then you can apply for a ‘Permit to move hives that have not been in a state with Varroa’.
• If your hives have spent any time in the last 24 months in a state or territory with Varroa, then you can apply for a ‘Permit to move hives that have been in a state with Varroa’.

Victoria will continue to regularly reassess restrictions of the movement of hives, queens, bee products and used fittings into Victoria as the situation evolves.

Before applying for a permit, beekeepers should ensure they understand and are able to fulfil specified permit conditions. Beekeepers should also create a BeeMAX account if they do not already have one.

Items that do not require a permit are drone semen, processed honey, processed wax and propolis for human consumption. These items will still require a health certificate.

The form and more information about this can be found on our Moving bees interstate page.

For more information and details on permit applications visit the Varroa mite page.

Beekeepers must declare that the hives in the barrier system they wish to move under permit have not had any positive detections of Varroa mite before. Also, that they have not spent any time in the last 24 months in a state or territory with Varroa.

Before applying, beekeepers should ensure they are able to fulfil their permit obligations. These are specified on the permit but will include the need to:

• maintain a barrier system for hives listed on the permit. This means running the hives listed on the permit as a distinct sub-unit
• keep a copy of the permit with the load
• secure and cover all hives described on the permit during transit.

Additionally:

• All hives must be clearly identifiable with the registered beekeeper’s registration or brand markings.
• All hives within the barrier system must be subject to surveillance events:
  • within 14 days prior to entry into Victoria, this event must be negative for Varroa.
  • once in every 16-week period thereafter for the duration of the permit.
• A surveillance event consists of completing alcohol washes on a particular barrier system as follows:
  • for less than 21 – alcohol wash all hives
  • for 21 hives or more – alcohol wash 21 hives.
• Hives should be selected at random and tested on rotation within the barrier system.
• Any hives that have had testing and surveillance for mites and found free of Varroa mite must be identified by marking with a permanent or paint marker on the hive lid with the mite check date and method that was used.
• Records of testing and surveillance for mites conducted must be reported by the registered beekeeper within 2 days on BeeMAX.
• Agriculture Victoria must be notified immediately by calling the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881 if any Varroa mites are detected in these hives at any time.
• Agriculture Victoria must be notified via BeeMAX or honeybee.permits@agriculture.vic.gov.au prior to all movements of the barrier system within, into, or out of Victoria.
• BeeMAX records must be updated within 7 days if all or any part of the barrier system is split, sold, given away or disposed of, including details of:
1. the number of hives split, sold, given away or disposed of
2. the date that the hives were splits, sold, given away or disposed of
3. who the hives were sold or given away to.
• A copy of the permit must be supplied to the new owner as nominated on the Notice of Disposal form or nominated in BeeMAX reporting system.
• Provide movement records and mite check records to an authorised officer, when requested.

Beekeepers must declare that no hives in the barrier system they wish to move under permit have had any positive detections of Varroa mite before. You may still be eligible for a permit if your business has had a past detection of Varroa mite. Further questions may be asked to understand how the detection was managed and to assess the risks.

Before applying, beekeepers should ensure they are able to fulfil their permit obligations. These are specified on the permit but will include the need to:

• manage hives by barrier system as listed on the permit. This means running the hives listed on the permit as a distinct sub-unit
• keep a copy of the permit with the load
• secure and cover all hives described on the permit during transit.

Additionally:

• All hives must be clearly identifiable with the registered beekeeper’s registration or brand markings.
• All hives within the barrier system must be subject to surveillance events:
  • within 14 days prior to entry into Victoria, this event must be negative for Varroa.
  • once in every 16-week period thereafter for the duration of the permit.
• A surveillance event consists of completing alcohol washes on a particular barrier system as follows:
  • for less than 64 hives – alcohol wash all hives
  • for 64 hives or more – alcohol wash 64 hives.
• Hives should be selected at random and tested on rotation within the barrier system.
• Any hives that have had testing and surveillance for mites and found free of Varroa mite must be identified by marking with a permanent or paint marker on the hive lid with the mite check date and method that was used.
• Records of testing and surveillance for mites conducted must be reported by the registered beekeeper within 2 days on BeeMAX.
• Agriculture Victoria must be notified immediately by calling the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881 if any Varroa mites are detected in these hives at any time.
• Agriculture Victoria must be notified via BeeMAX or honeybee.permits@agriculture.vic.gov.au prior to all movements of the barrier system within, into or out of Victoria.
• BeeMAX records must be updated within 7 days if all or any part of the barrier system is split, sold, given away or disposed of, including details of:
  1. the number of hives split, sold, given away or disposed of
  2. the date that the hives were splits, sold, given away or disposed of
  3. who the hives were sold or given away to.
• A copy of the permit must be supplied to the new owner as nominated on the notice of disposal form or nominated in BeeMAX reporting system.
• Provide movement records and mite check records to an authorised officer when requested.

Victoria is maintaining a cautious and staged approach to ensure that biosecurity risk can be appropriately managed.

Victoria will reassess restrictions on the movement of hives, queens, bee products and used fittings into Victoria as the situation evolves.

Agriculture Victoria is working closely with counterparts in NSW and other states to ensure permit systems are appropriate for the current risks.

The State Quarantine Response Team is extremely valuable to Agriculture Victoria, the beekeeping industry and the agriculture sector as it provides a large pool of trained in-hive surveillance experts, who are confident in handling bees, and ready to be called on as part of a honeybee response.

SQRT members conduct in-hive surveillance and participate in the government’s preparedness and response to biosecurity incursions such as Varroa mite.

Agriculture Victoria’s SQRT members work alongside authorised biosecurity officers in field teams to conduct in-hive surveillance.

Being part of the SQRT is a partnership between Agriculture Victoria and the Victorian honeybee industry. The program was created in Victoria and is now being implemented in other states across Australia.

If you are experienced in beekeeping and want to join the SQRT team, you will be required to complete the Victorian Honeybee SQRT Training course. The self-paced e-Learning course will inform you of the expectations required of you as a SQRT team member to actively participate in a response effectively. Sign up here: learning.agriculture.vic.gov.au

This link will take you directly to the course via a ‘Sign Up’ form.

When signing up, you must select “I need to access honeybee preparedness training” in the section “Why are you here”. The training will then appear directly in your Dashboard and Goal Centre.

If you have any problems accessing the training please email honeybee.biosecurity@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Yes, SQRT positions are paid to support Agriculture Victoria’s surveillance team when they are deployed.

When you apply you’ll be requested to complete some ‘employee’ paperwork, such as a police check, providing your COVID certificate, a pre-employment form, WorkSafe, etc.

Completing this employment paperwork as fast as possible is imperative to ensure you are ready to go and can be deployed.

There are currently 181 fully trained SQRT members. Additional beekeepers are currently undergoing training to boost SQRT numbers in response to the Varroa mite incursion in NSW.

For further information on being part of the SQRT team contact: Honeybee.Biosecurity@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

For anyone who is not part of the SQRT program, you can be involved in early detection of varroa mite by conducting mite testing and reporting your findings. Remember, recording negative results is important.

For anyone who is not part of the SQRT program, you can be involved in early detection of varroa mite by conducting mite testing and reporting your findings. Remember, recording negative results is also important.

Report any suspect Varroa mite or any other plant pest or disease immediately to the national Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881 or make a report via our online form with photo (where possible).

In Victoria this hotline is staffed 8 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday and 10 am to 6 pm on weekends and public holidays - please leave a message outside these hours.

Report Varroa mite online.