Canberra beekeeper Martina Hoffman says the varroa mite has “been on our doorstep for quite some time”. Photo: Canberra Bee Collective.
Martina Hoffmann always knew this day would come – the one where she got the call that the varroa mite had been found locally.
The news came on Friday (4 April), when an Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (EPSDD) spokesperson announced that varroa mite had been detected in the ACT for the first time.
Ms Hoffman owns Canberra Bee Collective and is also the vice-president of Canberra Region Beekeeping.
“I feel like we’ve [Canberra beekeepers] been thinking about that for a few months already,” she said.
“It’s now within the borders, but I’m not surprised that it’s come in there. It was only a matter of time. Bees don’t recognise borders.”
The ACT’s deputy director-general of environment, water and emissions reduction Geoffrey Rutledge said the mite’s arrival was “almost inevitable”.
The alarm bells were rung in September 2024, when varroa mite was detected in Royalla, a small community in the Queanbeyann-Palerang Local Government Area.
“That’s really just on our border, and that’s when we took the decision to work with our beekeepers to try and identify, monitor and manage varroa mite when it appears,” Mr Rutledge said.
The affected hives are on a property in the Kowen district, with their owner self-reporting the detection.
Varroa mite was first detected in Australia in 2022, and has now been found in the ACT. Photo: NSW DPI Biosecurity/Facebook.
Mr Rutledge said the ACT Government’s response was focused on three prongs: “monitoring, testing and treating”.
“We’re not planning any restrictions at this stage. It’s very much [an approach] to encourage the continued management and monitoring of people’s hives,” he said.
He encouraged beekeepers, both commercial and hobbyists, to test their hives.
“I expect that will give us a good handle on whether or not it’s more pervasive in the community,” he said.
The mites do not pose a risk to human health or food safety, but attack the bees, eventually killing them. The parasite also leaves them more susceptible to other pests and diseases.
Mr Rutledge said Canberrans could continue to eat locally grown honey without fear.
“It’s got no impact on honey or food production,” he said.
“What it does do, though, is weaken hives. They produce less honey, so the varroa mite does have the possibility of creating devastating effects on bee colonies.
“It’s quite a big threat to our bee population, and therefore pollination more broadly.”
Now the parasite has arrived in the ACT, Ms Hoffman said it was important to be prepared for its spread.
“Joining your local bee club is a good option – just to meet other beekeepers and hear about some options [for dealing with things like varroa mite],” she said.
“In the ACT, you can register your hives and that means you get these emails on occasion from ACT Biosecurity, which gives you advice and tips.”
Ms Hoffman and her fellow beekeepers’ first line of defence is testing their hives regularly so the spread of varroa can be tracked and (ideally) contained.
“Generally, we wouldn’t open our hives in winter, [but] if you want to be confident that you don’t have varroa, we will be checking this winter,” she said.
“We should, as beekeepers, be doing the responsible thing and checking our hives regularly.”
Further information on the ACT Government’s response to the varroa mite can be found on its website.
