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.

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.

Yes, Victorian registered beekeepers may apply for a permit to move hives from interstate into Victoria.

Evidence of current Victorian registration must pre-date Jan 16th 2023 i.e. a beekeeper can’t apply for a new Victorian registration in order to be eligible for the permit.

Permit applicants are advised that any hives with NSW contact, will be required to be managed as per permit requirements up to 24 months post entry into Victoria.

Hives must not have spent any time within 25km of a confirmed detection of Varroa destructor.

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 with;
  • (a) clear, permanent marking and identification of hives, components and appliances within the sub-unit. (Will be required to describe and provide photographic evidence of the markings)
  • (b) procedures (including appropriate controls), to prevent non-permitted interchange of hives, components and appliances between sub-units
  • (c) training and instructions for all employees
  • (d) documentation to enable the tracing and identification of hive components, honey and honeycomb to identifiable sub-units.
• Complete alcohol wash tests at the specified rates and record results in BeeMax. Rates will be:
  • at least once in every 16-week period, complete an alcohol wash on the hives and any bees housed in those hives as follows:
    • for less than 64 hives – alcohol wash all hives, or
    • for more than 64 hives but less than 640 hives – alcohol wash 64 hives, or
    • for more than 640 hives – alcohol wash of 10% of hives; and
  • For more than 64 hives, hives requiring mite inspection should be selected at random and tested on rotation within the Barrier System; and
  • 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.
• Record all hive movements, including the initial movement, in BeeMax for traceability
• Secure and cover loads of hives described on the permit during transit.
• Declare that hives must not have spent any time within 25km of a confirmed detection of Varroa destructor.

Interstate registered beekeepers, with hives that have not been in NSW since 1 January 2021, may apply for a permit to move hives into Victoria. Permit applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and permits may be issued if the applicant is able to meet specific training, hive testing and traceability requirements.

Permit approvals for interstate registered beekeepers, with hives that have been in NSW since 1 January 2021, will be paused as a national transition to management plan is developed. 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.

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’ web page.

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

Hives must not have spent any time within 25km of a confirmed detection of Varroa destructor.

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 load as listed on the permit. This means running the hives listed on the permit as a distinct sub-unit with;
  • (a) clear, permanent marking and identification of hives, components and appliances within the sub-unit. (Will be required to describe and provide photographic evidence of the markings)
  • (b) procedures (including appropriate controls), to prevent non-permitted interchange of hives, components and appliances between sub-units
  • (c) training and instructions for all employees
  • (d) documentation to enable the tracing and identification of hive components, honey and honeycomb to identifiable sub-units
  • (e) hives, components and appliances listed under the permit must not be split, sold, given away or disposed of within Victoria without notification to honeybee.permits@agriculture.vic.gov.au.
• Complete alcohol wash tests at the specified rates within 14 days prior to the movement into Victoria. Rates will be:
  • for less than 64 hives – alcohol wash all hives, or
  • for more than 64 hives but less than 640 hives – alcohol wash 64 hives, or
  • for more than 640 hives – alcohol wash of 10% of hives; and
  • 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
• Register an account and record all hive movements in BeeMax for traceability
• Secure and cover loads of hives described on the permit during transit.

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.