AGRICULTURE Victoria has confirmed Varroa mite has been detected for the first time in Victoria at a property in Nangiloc near Mildura.

The infested hive was identified during Agriculture Victoria’s surveillance activities which are carried out each year during almond pollination.

Agriculture Victoria acting chief plant health officer Dr Stephen Dibley said Agriculture Victoria is working with the affected beekeeper and others close by to minimise spread and guide management actions.

“This early detection of Varroa mite enables Victorian beekeepers to prepare and manage their hives effectively,” Dr Dibley said.

Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) is a parasite of adult honey bees and honey bee brood.

It weakens and kills honey bee colonies and can also transmit honey bee viruses.

It was first detected in Australia near Newcastle in NSW in 2022 after coming in via port and has been managed through the National Varroa Mite Response Plan which is focussed on preparing industry to live with and effectively manage Varroa mite.

Coleraine beekeeper, Ivan Mills who has 300 hives, has been beekeeping and producing honey for 48 years.

He said that it wasn’t a question of if anymore, but when his boxes of bees would get infested.

“I’m bracing myself to get them – it probably won’t be this season but it’s going to happen,” Mr Mills said.

“I’ve heard from the apiarist association that the Varroa mite has arrived in Victoria.

“At the moment I don’t have them (mites).

“I don’t pollinate almonds – that’s where the main incursion is at the moment.”

He said that beekeepers were very migratory and it was when beekeepers start to migrate from the almonds back to the usual area of operation that posed a risk to the spread of the mite.

“Beekeepers are very migratory,” Mr Mills said.

“They follow the nectar flows – a certain species of trees might be flowering in the Mallee or in the northeast of Victoria – so they follow the conditions for the bees.

“There are some beekeepers who do migration in our district.”

Mr Mills said he would be following the guidelines and protocols that beekeepers are required to do at the moment.

“I will be doing the usual alcohol washes that we’re obliged to do,” he said.

“We’re supposed to do testing regularly – around a couple of times per season – I wash around 300 bees – if there’s any mites, they fall off.”

He said he was very concerned about the prospect of having the mite infest his boxes of bees.

“I’m extremely worried about it – it’s going to be expensive and time consuming and it’s probably going to mean production loss,” Mr Mills said.

“If you’ve been in a zone where the mite has been, you have to report.

“If I was up on the almonds now (in northern Victoria) – then I would have to be reporting.”

Mr Mills said he was a honey producer and doesn’t undertake pollination with his bees.

“Our honey is stocked at the local supermarket at Coleraine IGA and we sell locally from the door, but the bulk of our honey goes to Capilano brand honey,” he said.

He said the inevitability of the infestation of Varroa mite was sinking in.

“I think most beekeepers have resigned themselves to the inevitability of getting Varroa mite,” he said.

“There will be a major learning curve to deal with it – it’s not going to be straight forward I don’t think.

“There are a lot of small beekeepers around ... it will affect them as well as commercial beekeepers.”

Agriculture Victoria said Varroa mite does not affect native bees.

In line with the National Varroa Mite Response Plan, Agriculture Victoria is working closely with beekeepers and orchardists to minimise the impacts on beehives and the almond pollination.

A team of 12 Varroa Development Officers have been recruited in Victoria under the National Varroa Mite Response Plan and they are available to provide guidance directly to beekeepers on how to manage Varroa mite and appropriately utilise the chemical control options available.

There are also Varroa Management Training Workshops occurring across Victoria this month, which cover monitoring and threshold surveillance actions, integrated pest management techniques, record-keeping, and chemical treatments, including organic options.

“With Varroa mite established in New South Wales and measures in place to slow the spread nationally, the detection this week was not unexpected despite the requirements in place to enter the state,” Dr Dibley said.

“I encourage all beekeepers to be prepared to manage Varroa in their hives by attending one of the free workshops, engaging with Varroa Development Officers and accessing all the resources available.”

Beekeepers with concerns can contact Victorian Varroa Development Officers by email at Victorian.VDO@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

Beekeepers in Victoria are urged to check their hives and to report suspected cases of Varroa mite to the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline.

For more information and updates on this detection, and any further Victorian varroa mite detections, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/varroa.