A year since the varroa mite entered Qld, honey bee colonies have collapsed

Almost all of south-east Queensland's managed honey bee colonies are impacted by varroa mites. (ABC News: Will Murray)

In March 2025, the 'varroa destructor' first appeared in Queensland beehives.

It is believed the parasitic mite, deadly to European honey bees, was carried over the Scenic Rim from New South Wales, which has been battling varroa since 2022.

Just a year on, it is estimated 90 per cent of south-east Queensland's wild honey bee colonies have collapsed, and almost all managed colonies are in a battle for survival.

"For south-east Queensland, the only word I can use now is devastation," Rick McFarlane, a commercial apiarist known as The Backyard Beekeeper, said.

Varroa gets into a colony through foundress mites; adult females carried on the back of an infected bee that lay eggs in the hive's brood cells.

The mites feed on the larvae inside, which then emerge as severely impaired bees.

"So, our bees might be healthy and flying around today, but the next generation, if affected by varroa, can't fly," Mr McFarlane said.

To detect varroa, Mr McFarlane demonstrated how beekeepers pour hundreds of bees into a container filled with alcohol, strain the dead bees out, and count how many mites have fallen off.

But as he peered inside a plastic jar, he frowned: "Sixteen varroa mite in that sample."

Until recently, the most effective method for killing varroa was a synthetic miticide.

Other treatments involve using oxalic acid in the form of strips and vapour.

Oxalic acid is a naturally occurring chemical which is non-toxic to bees, but harmful to both mites and humans.

Rick McFarlane, ‘The Backyard Beekeeper’, treats his hives with oxalic acid vapour. (ABC News: Will Murray)

To do a mite count, hundreds of bees have to be put into a container of alcohol. (ABC News: Will Murray)

After performing an alcohol wash, beekeepers count how many mites fall off their bees. (ABC News: Will Murray)

Regular oxalic acid use can keep numbers low enough for the colony to survive, but will not eliminate the mites altogether.

"I've only got 150 hives, and it's $1,500 to $3,000 extra per month that I've got to cover," Mr McFarlane said.

"It's our livelihood, but more than that we love our bees. So, when you start to see colonies collapsing, it's heartbreaking."

Amber Stone, who has poured her life savings into her north Brisbane beekeeping business, Teralba Bees, has had a significant part of her operation taken away.

"We would have families come to the apiary, we would put on beekeeper suits and go down into the beehives," she said.

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