Issue: August 2026
Management to Reduce Swarming
The beekeeper, not taking steps to reduce swarming results in the loss of about half of the bees in the original colony The knock-on effect is a loss of the honey crop. Now that Varroa is present in four states, the risk is that the swarm becomes feral and a breeding ground for Varroa, infecting managed colonies until it dies out. Feral colonies are, at this stage, showing no resistance to Varroa.
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The Hidden Barrier to Varroa Control
Over the past month, I’ve found myself doing something I never expected when I first stepped into the role of President of the Geelong Beekeepers Club: lobbying. Not in the political sense, but in the practical, beekeeper style way. Seeing a problem, naming it and trying to fix it before it becomes a bigger one. The issue is simple. Most Varroa treatments available under emergency permits are supplied in larger pack sizes, even though the majority of Victorian beekeepers are hobbyists. Read More:
Winter Solstice Mead Making
The Winter Solstice provided the perfect backdrop for the Cumberland Beekeepers Club’s sold-out mead making course, with 25 participants gathering at the new Learning Centre at Chifley College Bidwill Campus to discover the art and science of mead making.
Attendees travelled from across New South Wales, including the Illawarra and Newcastle regions, with several beekeeping clubs represented alongside members of the public who were curious to learn the craft.
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Meet Mike Allerton - ABA Vice President and Biosecurity Officer
Mike Allerton’s fascination with honey bees began many years ago, but after several decades away from beekeeping, he returned to it with renewed enthusiasm eleven years ago. What began as a recreational pursuit quickly became a determination to understand bees more deeply and to help other beekeepers care for them well. Not content to rely solely on short courses, books, field days and online learning, Mike completed a Certificate III in Beekeeping through Tocal Agricultural College. Read More:
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Detecting Varroa Mite Resistance To Apistan®, Apitraz® Apivar® And Bayvarol®
Resistance to synthetic varroa controls occurs in every country where varroa exists (Jack and Ellis, 2021). Knowing how to conduct resistance tests can help beekeepers detect future resistance issues early and avoid wasting money on a product that is no longer effective.
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Industry-led varroa mite solutions funded by Queensland grants
When the people who are directly involved and impacted by a problem are asked what the solutions are, you can assume those will be the best options to take. This is the approach that Queensland Department of Primary Industries’ Community Bee Innovation Fund grant program took. We asked industry to apply for grant funding to undertake innovative projects that would help solve the challenges that varroa mite presents. Read More:
A new RNA-based biopesticide for Varroa control
The ideal pest-control product is highly selective, targeting pests without harming beneficial species, people, or other animals. It should break down quickly in the environment, be inexpensive, effective at low doses, safe to handle, and unlikely to drive the evolution of resistance.
A new biopesticide for controlling Varroa mites, developed in New Zealand, appears to meet many of these goals. Read More:
Presidents Report May 2026
The President's report covers Membership renewal that starts June 1st. An update on the new Swarm system. The biosecurity Manual for Beekeepers. Comments on the investigation into the origins of the Varroa mite incursion. The Colonel Pulling and Bruce White Awards for 2026, and finally a reminder that the ABA needs needs members to support the association as volunteers and committee members.
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Honey Fraud- how it happens and what are the options for monitoring/control?
In my previous article I discussed the progress of the Agrifutures funded project National Beehive & Honey Traceability Feasibility Study undertaken by ICS. The majority of that project was investigation the feasibility of hive traceability. But another part of the project was looking at traceability of the honey, which is a related but separate problem requiring different solutions. Read More:
The Case of the Disappearing Pollen Substitute
Have you ever wondered where pollen substitutes go when they disappear from a hive or feeder? A collection of studies from the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab and Tocal College funded through AgriFutures Australia have explored this question.
We dyed a variety of commercially available pollen substitutes without natural pollen and traced the diets through colonies in the field. This article briefly summarises our findings. Read More:
Are you keeping up with miticide resistance?
Miticide resistant Varroa destructor is with us and much sooner than anyone expected. From what we understand, this is a separate incursion of V.destructor and it leaves beekeepers with a huge headache. The treatments that we know are at risk are, Apistan, Bayvarol, Apitraz and Apivar. What are our options?