June 26, 2026
An emergency roundtable will be held next Tuesday involving key stakeholders in the honey bee industry to discuss the varroa mite crisis.
The roundtable will involve representatives from Biosecurity Queensland, the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council and the Queensland Beekeepers Association.
This follows the release of a report by the Wheen Bee Foundation, a not-for-profit group that promotes awareness of the importance of bees for food security, that has estimated a potential shortfall of 290,000 commercial honey bee hives during peak pollination periods in Australia due to varroa mite impacts and the rising demand for pollination services
Varroa destructor mites were first detected in Queensland in March last year. Since then 24 local government areas have reported outbreaks.
The spread of varroa mites resistant to synthetic pyrethroids (Bayvarol and Apistan) and Amitraz-based miticides (Apivar and Apitraz) has been confirmed in apiaries in 12 council areas, including the South Burnett.
Related articles:
- Mite Crisis: Plan Now For Pollination
- Mite Resistance Is Spreading
- Insecticide Resistance Found In Mites
- Varroa Mite Found In South Burnett
- Bee Pest Detected In Lockyer Valley
- Grants To Target Varroa Mite
- Varroa Mite Detected In Brisbane
- NSW Quits Fight Against Varroa
- Beekeepers Urged To Check Hives
- Varroa Mite Restrictions Relax
- Scientists Target Varroa Mite
- Border Ban On NSW Bees
- Varroa Mite Incursion Eradicated
- Second Infected Hive Found
- Varroa Mite Found In Queensland
- CSIRO Warns Against Complacency
