From June 2022, industry and government have worked closely in partnership to attempt to eradicate Varroa mite.

As of 19 September 2023, the National Management Group (made up of all states, the Commonwealth and 16 industry partners) have now decided that eradication is no longer technically feasible and have unanimously decided to move from an eradication program to a management approach.

The mite is still contained to NSW, and the response to date has enabled a detailed understanding of the spread and risk of new detections.

The NSW Government will work with all the national stakeholders and reallocate resources to slowing the spread of the pest and providing management options to help minimise its impact.

The NMG considered the following major factors for why eradication has not reached its desired objectives:

• The recent number of new detections in Kempsey and subsequent movements from Kempsey, have made it clear that the Varroa mite infestation is more widespread and has also been present for longer
  than first thought.
• The increase in new detections and the subsequent expansion of the Eradication Emergency Zone to greater than 17,800km² has stretched the eradication team’s responses to its technical limit.

When Varroa mite was first detected in sentinel hives in June 2022, the infestation was assessed as being technically feasible to eradicate, and so an eradication response commenced.  

The NMG agreed the most appropriate course of action was to first undertake to eradicate Varroa mite because of the impacts it could potentially have on primary industries in NSW and across Australia.

The NMG considered learnings from across the world in deciding on the response in Australia.

Work has commenced on a National Management Plan for Transition to Management. This will be presented to the National Management Group for agreement.

The plan will include establishing programs to slow the spread, management solutions for mites in hives, building industry resilience by enhancing bee biosecurity and continuing to support pollination services.

In the meantime, NSW will operate under an interim strategy, which has been  published in a new Control Order.

The whole state is either in a Suppression Zone or Management Zone. The only Management Zones will be in the Kempsey, Hunter and Central Coast regions (i.e. the former Emergency Eradication Zones in these regions).

The rest of the state (including regional outlier Emergency Eradication Zones such as those in Gumble, Cuttabri, Somerton, Harparary, Coffs region, pollination zones in the south, Taree and Barcoongere) are in the Suppression Zone.

In Management Zones:

• All beekeepers with managed hives within the Management Zone must notify NSW DPI of the location of their hives, by calling 1800 084 881 or by completing the Beekeeper Notifications - Varroa mite online form
• You must continue to undertake hive testing (alcohol washing, soapy water wash or miticide strip and sticky mat) every 16 weeks and report the results to NSW DPI within 7 days.
• Movement of bees, hives and permitted bee feeders out of the Management zone is not permitted.
• Movement of apiary equipment out of the Management Zone is permitted once cleaned and free of any bee material and live bees.
• Movement between Management Zones is allowed under secure conditions.

Beekeepers in all current Red Zones (areas declared Red Zones up until 20 September 2023) are allowed the option of voluntary euthanasia of hives and subsequent access to Owner Reimbursement Costs.

In Suppression Zones:

• Movement is permitted within and out of the Suppression Zone, once a Hive Movement Declaration form has been completed.
• Your hive health is your responsibility.
• All beekeepers in NSW are required to complete hive testing every 16 weeks (alcohol washing, soapy water wash, sugar shake or miticide strip and sticky mat) and report results to DPI within 7 days. Where results indicate a mite infestation DPI will supply miticide strips to be installed in infested hives.

Statewide conditions:

• All beekeepers in NSW are required to complete hive testing every 16 weeks (alcohol washing, soapy water wash or miticide strip and sticky mat) and report results to DPI within 7 days. NSW DPI will support treatment when a report of a positive is received from the Suppression Zone.
• Hive movement declarations must be submitted to DPI for all movements of hives. Records must be retained and made available for audit when required. They must also be carried by the beekeeper during transit.
• All miticide treatments must be recorded and reported to DPI.
• Records of each surveillance activity must be kept for five years, which consist of a photo that is time and date stamped, showing the location of the hives and the sample of bees on which surveillance action was conducted.

Beekeepers in all current Emergency Eradication Zones are allowed the option of voluntary euthanasia and subsequent access to Owner Reimbursement Payments. This will be an opt in process by which beekeepers must contact NSW DPI to register. This option will only be available for a limited time.

As part of the interim strategy, outlined in the Emergency Order, mandatory euthanising of hives will immediately cease.

Beekeepers with hives in the former Emergency Eradication (Red) Zone, can still choose to have their hives euthanised and access reimbursement.

The Wild European Honeybee Management Program will cease immediately.

NSW DPI compliance team has been working with industry and NSW Police to ensure compliance in movements of hives since the beginning of the response.

There are currently 30 open investigations of illegal activity, and 21 penalty notices have been issued.

Through the response, more than 600 high risk beekeepers have been identified, investigated and interviewed, with 108 of these proceeding to high level investigations.

The emergency response team in NSW has:

• Conducted surveillance on more than 30,000 hives
• Removed more than 27,000 hives from red eradication zones
• Established more than 1100 wild bee baiting stations across the current eradication zones to remove infested colonies and prevent further spread.

Over 2000 people across 13 agencies and industry have committed over 552,000 work hours (approximately 63 years).

Nationally, $101 million has been spent so far across the response.

• Movement is permitted within and out of the Suppression Zone, once a Hive Movement Declaration form has been completed.
• Your hive health is your responsibility.
• All beekeepers in NSW are required to complete hive testing every 16 weeks (alcohol washing, soapy water wash, sugar shake or miticide strip and sticky mat) and report results to DPI within 7 days. Where results indicate a mite infestation DPI will supply miticide strips to be installed in infested hives.
• Report your surveillance results here

• All beekeepers with managed hives within the Management Zone must notify NSW DPI of the location of their hives, by calling 1800 084 881 or by completing the Beekeeper Notifications - Varroa mite online form
• You must continue to undertake hive testing (alcohol washing, soapy water wash or miticide strip and sticky mat) every 16 weeks and report the results to NSW DPI within 7 days. Report your surveillance results here
• Movement of bees, hives and permitted bee feeders out of the Management zone is not permitted.
• Movement of apiary equipment out of the Management Zone is permitted once cleaned and free of any bee material and live bees.
• Movement between Management Zones is allowed under secure conditions.

Beekeepers in all current Red Zones (areas declared Red Zones up until 20 September 2023) are allowed the option of voluntary euthanasia of hives and subsequent access to Owner Reimbursement Costs.

• All beekeepers in NSW are required to complete hive testing every 16 weeks (alcohol washing, soapy water wash or miticide strip and sticky mat) and report results to DPI within 7 days. NSW DPI will support treatment when a report of a positive is received from the Suppression Zone.
• Hive movement declarations must be submitted to DPI for all movements of hives. Records must be retained and made available for audit when required. They must also be carried by the beekeeper during transit.
• You can submit a hive movement declaration here.
• All miticide treatments must be recorded and reported to DPI.
• Records of each surveillance activity must be kept for five years, which consist of a photo that is time and date stamped, showing the location of the hives and the sample of bees on which surveillance action was conducted.

Attempting to manage bees again in the Management zone straight away is too high risk given the high likelihood of your hives becoming infested with Varroa. Beekeepers are encouraged to wait until after the mass suppression event before managing bees again. More information will be available soon.

The Wild European Honey Bee Management Program has immediately ceased baiting activities. There is a plan to decommission and remove the existing feeder stations within previous red Eradication zones, however this will take time. For now, existing feeder stations contain sugar syrup only, and you may notice NSW DPI staff monitoring these stations for the purpose of observing and monitoring swarm activity in these areas.