New resistant varroa mite incursions

Question

In January 2026, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Resources (DPIRD) collected samples from a small number of apiaries in northern NSW following a suspected treatment failure. Testing confi rmed a resistance (called L925I) to pyrethroid treatment. In February 2026, a second resistant version called L925M was confi rmed in the same apiaries. In April 2026 the same apiaries also showed treatment resistance to Amitraz (Apitraz, Apivar), a different miticide used to treat varroa mite. This detection was soon followed by confi rmation from the NSW Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute that the resistant mites in these apiaries are associated with a more recent incursion of Varroa destructor - separate from those fi rst detected in 2022. Resistant mites appear to be spreading through the trade of bees and proximity to affected apiaries. The resistance has been recorded from parts of central and northern NSW and southern QLD, and it is likely that additional areas are impacted. 1. Recent media reporting quoted the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council as estimating that pollination services provide ''a 4.2 billion dollar contribution directly to pollination-dependent industries - including apples, cherries, pears, even canola.'' a. As far as we can see there were no specifi c funding measures in the Budget aimed at protecting Australian pollination services from the existential risks that resistant mites pose. Why? b. Does the Government believe it's doing enough to protect Australian bees, apiarists and the agricultural sectors that depend on them? 2. Is it the Government's position that Australian apiarists and the agricultural sectors that rely on pollination services should simply adjust to learning to live with these catastrophic biosecurity incursions? 3. This recent and signifi cant incursion of resistant mites and related extensive hive destruction is causing extreme fi nancial hardship as well as reported increases in acute mental health distress amongst honey bee keepers and apiarists, particularly in NSW and QLD. a. What specifi c support is the Government providing, or planning to provide, to these impacted apiarists whose industry and livelihoods are being so severely impacted, and in some cases, completely destroyed?

Answer

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Documents

• Question with answer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• SQ26-000578.pdf (opens in a new tab)