Varroa Mite in Queensland Update
September 2025
As of 15 September, the Queensland response to varroa mite continues with a focus on tracking, surveillance and slowing the spread. There have been 192 confirmed detections across 12 council areas, with 43 new infested premises from 58 positive detections in August alone.
As the weather warms and hive testing increases, detections are likely to become more frequent. With varroa now confirmed in migratory hives, larger distances between detections are also becoming more common.
The Queensland Department of Primary Industries is urging beekeepers to increase their hive monitoring frequency to monthly and to use decontamination practices between apiaries.
During this year’s almond pollination season in early September:
- 15,250 hives entered Victoria
- 9,000 hives went to South Australia.
That’s a total of 24,250 hives helping pollinate almonds across both states, a sharp rise compared to last year’s 5,500 Queensland hives involved in Victoria’s almond event. Many of these hives have now headed north, particularly to Bundaberg and surrounding regions, to support the pollination of macadamias and avocados.
In the meantime, Queensland’s varroa biosecurity zone remains active, requiring permits for any hive movements from infested jurisdictions. These safeguards are in place to manage the risk of high mite loads entering the state, while still allowing critical pollination services to continue. Varroa mite remains notifiable and anyone finding varroa mite in their hives must report it to Biosecurity Queensland.
You can report varroa mite in Queensland by:
- using the online Bee 123 form (preferred approach)
- emailing varroa@dpi.qld.gov.au.
The 2025 Australian Colony Loss Survey is now live and beekeepers in Queensland and across the country are encouraged to take part.
In 2024, more than 1,000 Australian beekeepers contributed to the survey, providing critical data on the health of honey bee colonies and the key challenges faced by the industry. This year, the goal is to hear from even more voices to build a clearer, nationwide picture of beekeeping conditions in 2025.
The COLOSS survey is an important tool that helps researchers, industry stakeholders, and government bodies better understand colony management practices, seasonal losses, and emerging threats, including varroa mite. The findings contribute to a global effort to support the sustainability of beekeeping and pollination services.
Open to all beekeepers in Australia, the survey takes just 7–15 minutes to complete and is anonymous. The survey is open until 1 November 2025. The more responses collected, the better the insights and the stronger the future for Australian beekeeping.
