Varroa mite – current situation

Updated 20 May

Varroa mites in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia resistant to pyrethroid and formamidine-based products

Varroa mites that are resistant to chemical treatment have spread, with treatment failures confirmed in Victoria and South Australia. This follows treatment resistance confirmed in New South Wales and Queensland earlier this year.

On 13 May 2026, Agriculture Victoria confirmed that Varroa mites in a Victorian apiary are resistant to pyrethroid treatments. This affects the use of the products Bayvarol and Apistan. In early June, further testing confirmed the same mites are also resistant to formamidine based products (Apivar and Apitraz).

This news came after reports that these treatments were not working to control Varroa mite numbers as expected. The presence of resistant mites in the Victorian apiary is not a result of individual actions, rather a product of broader circumstances in preceding months.

Also in May, South Australia confirmed resistance to both synthetic treatment groups in sentinel hives in the Pooginook Detection Zone. This finding was linked to NSW cases.

There has been a newer Varroa mite incursion into Australia, separate from mites first detected in 2022, which has introduced mites with genetic resistance to the pyrethroid and formamidine based treatments. The pathway for the incursion is not known. So far, testing conducted by the NSW Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute has shown there are no exotic (new) viruses in affected hives.

Eradication of this resistant mite population is not technically feasible, because Varroa is so geographically widespread. As a result, eradication will not be attempted.

If this resistance spreads, beekeepers will lose some of the main tools for controlling Varroa mites. This could lead to more mites in hives and less bee colonies surviving. Resistance can spread through chemical misuse, the sale and movement of bees that are already resistant and spread from nearby apiaries.

Agriculture Victoria, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and QLD DPI are working together to trace hive movements and carry out further tests for these resistant mites. This helps to understand the cause and how far the resistant mites have spread.

State and territory governments, along with the Australian Government, are continuing to work with the beekeeping industry through the National Bee Biosecurity Program and the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program.

Proactive monitoring and observation are hallmarks of good beekeeping and reporting anything unusual is good for the entire industry.

For more information see Miticide resistance In Varroa mites: What Victorian beekeepers need to know.

Ongoing Varroa management support

The Victorian Government is providing long-term biosecurity support for the apiary and pollination-dependent industries by investing an extra $3.2 million through the Victorian Varroa Transition Program 2025–27.

This new program, alongside the existing National Bee Biosecurity Program, will help beekeepers to adjust to managing Varroa mites in Victoria and help protect the pollination services that are essential for Victoria’s agricultural productivity.

Beekeepers looking for support and advice about Varroa should contact a Victorian bee biosecurity officer on 136 186 or honeybee.biosecurity@agriculture.vic.gov.au

End of the Varroa transition to management program

In September 2023, the National Management Group (NMG), the national authority overseeing the Varroa mite emergency response, determined that eradication of the pest was no longer possible. As a result, the program shifted in early 2024 from eradication to a transition to management approach.

The focus of this 2-year program was to slow the spread of Varroa mite, strengthen the capacity of beekeepers to identify and manage Varroa effectively and secure pollination services for dependent industries.

Although the transition to management program ended in February 2026, the resources developed are still available for free to help support best practice management.

These free tools and guides can be found at the National Varroa Mite Management Program.

Victorian Varroa control area order was removed effective 11 September 2025

Agriculture Victoria removed the statewide order declaring a control area in relation to Varroosis that was put in place to manage the spread of Varroa destructor in Victoria.

The change reflects the continued spread of Varroa across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia and aligns with the national strategy to slow the spread of Varroa and transition to management.

This reduction in regulatory burden supports business continuity for beekeepers seeking to introduce bees and hives into Victoria from jurisdictions where Varroa is present and further support access to pollination services for growers.

In order to manage the biosecurity risks posed by the introduction of bees and hives from apiaries without an adequate Varroa management plan, the existing health certification system has been updated to incorporate Varroa-related conditions.

What this means for beekeepers from 11 September 2025

• The Victorian Varroa control area order restricting the movement of bees, bee products and beekeeping fittings has been lifted statewide.
• Beekeepers seeking to introduce bees or hives into Victoria from a state where Varroa is present will no longer be required to apply for and be granted a Varroa permit.
• ALL beekeepers seeking to introduce bees, bee products or used beekeeping equipment into Victoria from any jurisdiction MUST apply for and be granted a health certificate.
• Information on health certificate requirements is available at Moving bees interstate.

Ongoing responsibilities

Beekeepers are reminded to:

• continue monitoring hives regularly for signs of Varroa mite
• report positive and negative inspection results via BeeMAX
• adopt integrated pest management practices to help control Varroa populations in hives and keep mite numbers below treatment thresholds
• maintain accurate records of hive locations, inspections and treatments
• report any suspected chemical treatment failures.

Updated 23 July 2025

Varroa detection in Victoria

As anticipated during the Varroa transition to management phase, new detections of Varroa have and will continue to occur across Victoria. All beekeepers should continue to monitor their hives regularly and report both positive and negative inspection results via BeeMAX. This will ensure the accuracy of the Victorian Varroa Surveillance Map, making it as useful as possible. This map is populated by data from BeeMAX users and can be found under the Public Reports tab in BeeMAX.

Agriculture Victoria strongly encourages and applauds the transparency and reporting of positive Varroa detections. This is for the benefit of industry to assess risk before movement of hives.

There are no movement restrictions in place for positive hives (located in Victoria) moving within Victoria. Agriculture Victoria’s bee biosecurity officers are assisting beekeepers to ensure any positive loads within the state are well managed below threshold, to minimise the biosecurity risk.

In line with the national response, Agriculture Victoria is working closely with beekeepers to minimise the impacts on beehives in the apiary.

Varroa management training workshops were held at 26 locations across Victoria for both commercial and recreational beekeepers. Topics covered included monitoring and threshold surveillance actions, integrated pest management techniques, record-keeping and chemical treatments, including organic options. Find out more about the National Varroa Mite Management Program.

All beekeepers in Victoria are urged to check their hives and record their inspections, mite testing results and hive movements in BeeMAX.

Transition to management

Following the National Management Group meeting on 19 September 2023, the Victorian Government will join other Australian states, territories and industries in transitioning 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.

As activities under the Transition to Management Plan progress, Agriculture Victoria will continue to update this page to provide information for Victorian beekeepers and affected industry parties.