The devastating honey bee parasite Varroa destructor mite has been found in Far North Queensland, the northernmost detection of the destructive pest in Australia.
Biosecurity Queensland confirmed two detections at El Arish and Cardwell, about 120 kilometres south of Cairns, on September 7 with a third suspected near Innisfail.
The new detections are about 1,000km north of the previous northernmost incursion.
Manager of Biosecurity Queensland’s varroa mite innovation and resilience initiative Rob Stephens said the jump in distance was likely the result of human-assisted movement of hives from south-east Queensland.
“The identified hives have been successfully destroyed at the discretion of the beekeeper,” he said.
“The threat is still there that there could have been further spread.
“Subsequent surveillance has also confirmed a third suspect detection in Innisfail, which is not thought to be linked to either of those two previous detections.”
A female Varroa destructor mite on the head of its host, a bee pupa. (Supplied: Gilles San Martin)
Varroa mite was first detected in Queensland in March 2025, and Mr Stephens said it had since spread across 26 local government areas across the state.
“We had our first detection in Gladstone in central Queensland in August, and just yesterday we confirmed a detection in Blackwater in the Central Highlands region,” he said.
“Naturally, we would only really be expecting the varroa to probably move about 10 kilometres a year, maybe a little bit more.
“But with that human-assisted spread, it could move anywhere.”
Varroa mite is a destructive pest to bees. (Supplied: Phil Lester)
He said there was a risk it had spread further and urged beekeepers to be vigilant and test their hives monthly.
“We do expect you’re going to get that natural spread, but you also are expecting human-assisted spread again because beekeepers are migratory by nature,” Mr Stephens said.
“Pollination-reliant industries require commercial beekeepers to move their hives around.
“Unfortunately, it is a matter of time before we expect to see varroa mite endemic all throughout Queensland.”
The Department of Primary Industries has a varroa mite surveillance map available online demonstrating where the pest has been detected within the state.
One year on in South Australia
This month marks one full year since varroa mite was detected in South Australia.
It was believed to have been brought in from a hive in Queensland.
The first mite was found at Pooginook in the Riverland region in the state’s east, having already been found in parts of Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT.
Australian Honey Bee Industry Council chief executive Danny Le Ferve said the mite had spread across the state in those 12 months since.
“Honeybees need to move in order for those beekeepers to make money,” he said.
“Ultimately there is no way of stopping it spreading because it is spread right across the globe and it doesn’t respect borders or lines in sand.”
While thousands of bee hives are moved around the country each year to pollinate crops, the agriculture industry relies on wild pollination from feral bees.
Danny Le Feuvre is concerned what impact the mite will have on feral bees. (Supplied: AHBIC)
Mr Le Ferve said while feral bees in South Australia had not been majorly impacted by varroa mite yet, it was inevitable.
“What we’ve seen in New South Wales, it takes a little while, but it completely wipes out those unmanaged feral bay colonies,” he said.
He said feral bee populations in the state were already diminished due to a few years of drought and he hoped the impact of the varroa destructor mite would not be felt as strongly because populations were already low.
“It might not be quite as impactful as what we’ve seen on the east coast,” he said.
