Bee-killing varroa mites found 5km south of Queensland border

An outbreak of the world's deadliest bee parasite, varroa destructor mite, has been found less than 5 kilometres from the Queensland border — the closest detection to date.

The hives in three apiaries near Boggabilla, south-east of Goondiwindi, were identified last week during a surveillance check by officers from both the New South Wales and Queensland Departments of Primary Industries.

Australia has given up the fight to eradicate the deadly varroa mite, agreeing to move to a management plan. (Supplied)

Queensland Beekeepers Association president and fourth-generation apiarist Jacob Stevens said while a detection close to the border was expected, it was still concerning.

"Certainly, avocados, macadamias, berries, melons, apples, citrus, almonds — all those industries should be quite concerned as to the longer-term impacts," he said.

"It's inevitable that it will cross the border into Queensland at some point in the not-too-distant future."

A varroa destructor mite on its host, a bee pupa. (Supplied: Gilles San Martin)

Steady spread

Varroa destructor mites were first detected at the Port of Newcastle in June 2022, but authorities later abandoned eradication efforts to instead focus on managing the pest.

They have not been recorded in Queensland, where a network of sentinel hives has been established north of the border.

But they have been found in Victoria, where two separate detections in hives near Mildura and at Hattah were successfully destroyed last year.

Danny Le Feuvre says more federal funding is needed for research and development. (YouTube: AgExcellence)

Australian Honey Bee Industry Council chief executive Danny Le Feuvre said it was likely the vast majority of New South Wales beekeepers were infested "to some extent".

"It's very safe to assume that there's varroa mites right up to the borders," he said.

Tiny mite's big impact

Between 1mm and 1.77mm long, the tiny red-brown mites carry viruses and feed on adult bees, their larvae, and pupae, weakening and killing them.

Mr Le Feuvre said researchers had already reported widespread colony collapses of wild European honey bee populations, particularly around Sydney and Newcastle.

Dead pupae killed by varroa mite ejected from a hive. (Supplied: Australian Honey Bee Industry Council)

"We're starting to see the tip of the iceberg, the results of those impacts," he said.

"We're starting to see in the Sydney basin that real big reduction of honey bee activity on flowering crops and gardens."

Mr Le Feuvre said the combined impact of treatment costs and historically low honey prices had led to a mass exodus from the industry.

"We've never seen so many bee businesses for sale, not just purely as a result of varroa — we're operating in a really tough climate at the moment," Mr Le Feuvre said.

"The impacts are real and beekeepers are really struggling."

He said 50,000 fewer commercial and recreational beehives were registered in New South Wales last year.

That represented a 17 per cent reduction in commercial, and an 11 per cent reduction in recreational hives in New South Wales, which now has 343,000 registered hives.

Sentinel hives have been set up near the New South Wales border to detect mite incursions. (ABC News: Jerry Rickard)

Sentinel hives

Biosecurity Queensland's varroa mite innovation and resilience initiative manager, Rob Stevens, said the detection was a reminder to all beekeepers to be vigilant.

"The main thing we want right now is for beekeepers to be out there checking their hives," Mr Stephens said.

Results should be lodged through Queensland's BEE123 portal to help map future incursions and slow the spread.

Alcohol wash tests are used to detect the presence of varroa mite in hives. (Supplied: NSW Department of Primary Industries)

"We still don't know the interaction we're going to have with varroa and other pests and disease," Mr Stephens said.

"It might mean that colony collapse happens faster in some geographical areas than others because there are other pests and diseases already established there."

In the meantime, Mr Le Feuvre said the industry was lobbying for more funding for research and development to help both beekeepers and farmers mitigate the damage.

Bees infested with varroa mites. (Supplied: Australian Honey Bee Industry Council)

He said about 35 per cent of Australia's crops were estimated to be reliant on honey bee pollination, including from wild colonies, while at least two-thirds benefited from them.

While it was difficult project how varroa mites might affect the cost of food and food production, research and development group Hort Innovation, which represents 37 industries, estimated the Australian sector was valued at $16 billion last year.

Despite the challenges, Jacob Stevens was still optimistic about his son becoming a fifth-generation beekeeper.

"I think there's still a reasonably positive future in beekeeping," Mr Stevens said.

"This is just a little tough period that we're going to work through at the moment and we will learn how to manage varroa."