Varroa Mite in Australia: What It Means for Your Honey in 2026

Varroa destructor, the world's most destructive bee parasite, was detected in NSW in June 2022 and has since spread to Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, and the ACT. Eradication was abandoned in September 2023. Western Australia remains the last major Varroa-free honey-producing region on the continent — and that fact matters enormously for the purity and quality of your honey.

Key Points

• Varroa mite first detected in NSW in June 2022 at Port of Newcastle sentinel hives
• By 2026, Varroa is present in NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, and ACT — with treatment-resistant strains now confirmed
• Western Australia remains Varroa-free due to geographic isolation and active biosecurity
• Varroa-free status means no miticide treatments in WA hives — purer honey, healthier bees
• WA Jarrah honey is now genuinely rarer and more valuable as eastern supply contracts

There are moments when a single event reshapes an entire industry. For Australian honey, June 2022 was that moment.

Varroa destructor — the same mite that has devastated bee populations across Europe, North America, and Asia — was found in sentinel hives at the Port of Newcastle, New South Wales. After a 14-month emergency eradication response, Australian authorities concluded in September 2023 that elimination was no longer achievable. The focus shifted to management. By mid-2025, Varroa had spread to five states and territories, with treatment-resistant strains emerging in NSW and Queensland as of January 2026.

For Australian beekeepers in the east, it has been — as one Queensland biosecurity official put it — "a challenging period." For Western Australian honey, it's a different story entirely.

What Is Varroa Mite and Why Does It Matter?

Varroa destructor is a tiny red-brown external parasite that attaches to honey bees, feeds on their fat bodies, reproduces inside brood cells, and transmits debilitating viruses. Left untreated, an infested colony typically collapses within three to four years.

The mite doesn't contaminate honey directly. What it does is far more consequential: it forces beekeepers to treat their hives with miticides — chemical compounds like pyrethroids and amitraz — to keep mite populations below lethal thresholds. Those treatments are applied inside the hive environment. In countries with long histories of Varroa management, this is simply the cost of doing business. In Australia, it represents a fundamental change to how eastern-states honey is produced.

The impacts extend well beyond the hive. In November 2025, pollination costs for the almond industry had already jumped to around $200 per hive, up from $30 two decades prior. Fruit growers in the Blue Mountains reported apple crops at just 5% of normal yield due to declining feral bee populations — wild bees that have historically provided free pollination services and are now collapsing under Varroa pressure.

The Spread: Where Things Stand in 2026

The timeline tells the story clearly:

• June 2022 — First detection, Port of Newcastle, NSW
• September 2023 — National decision: eradication no longer achievable; transition to management begins
• 2024 — Varroa confirmed in Victoria, ACT, and Queensland
• September 2025 — South Australia joins the list
• January 2026 — NSW confirms pyrethroid-resistant Varroa strains (mutation L925I); Queensland confirms a second resistance variant (L925M)
• March 2026 — Nearly 1,000 infestations recorded across 21 Queensland local government areas alone

The two-year national transition-to-management program formally concluded in February 2026, though resources remain available to beekeepers. What this means practically: Varroa is now a permanent fixture of eastern Australian beekeeping, and the chemical treatments required to manage it are becoming less effective as resistance evolves.

Western Australia: The Last Varroa-Free Frontier

Western Australia's geographic position — separated from the eastern states by thousands of kilometres of desert — creates a natural biosecurity barrier that has so far proven effective. As of April 2026, WA remains entirely Varroa-free.

This isn't luck. The Bee Industry Council of Western Australia (BICWA) maintains active surveillance through Bee Sentry units along the Nullarbor and other high-risk entry points. The WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) runs annual Bee Pest Blitz campaigns, with more than 4,500 registered beekeepers monitoring over 53,400 hives. When South Australia confirmed Varroa in September 2025, BICWA immediately called on the WA Government to increase biosecurity investment, noting the threat was now "closer than ever before."

The commitment is significant. WA's biosecurity framework represents one of the most active honey bee protection programs in the world right now.

What Varroa-Free Means for the Honey in Your Jar

Here's the practical difference:

No miticide treatments. In Varroa-affected regions, beekeepers apply chemical strips, oxalic acid treatments, or other acaricides to their hives multiple times per year. In WA, none of this is necessary. WA honey — including Forest Fresh Jarrah — is produced from bees that have never been exposed to these treatments.

Healthier bee colonies. Varroa weakens bees by feeding on fat bodies, suppressing immune function, and transmitting deforming wing virus and other pathogens. WA bees maintain the full colony vigour of untreated, parasite-free populations — which translates to more active foraging, higher enzyme activity in honey, and more robust antimicrobial properties.

Genuine rarity increasing. Eastern-state honey production is under pressure from rising management costs, beekeeper attrition (estimates suggest up to 50% of amateur beekeepers may exit the industry within two years), and reduced wild bee populations. As eastern supply contracts or shifts toward lower-grade bulk production, WA premium honey becomes genuinely scarcer and more valuable.

🍯 Jarrah Platinum TA50+ — Australia's most bioactive honey, Varroa-free by geography
Produced in Western Australia's Varroa-free Jarrah forests, independently tested across 5 laboratories.
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What This Means for Honey Prices and Supply

The economic consequences of Varroa are already flowing through to consumers. With eastern-state beekeepers facing $30,000+ in additional annual treatment and labour costs, commercial operations downsizing, and pollination prices rising sharply, the days of abundant, cheap Australian honey are changing.

Premium single-origin honeys from clean-environment, Varroa-free regions like WA will command an increasingly justified premium. This isn't marketing. It reflects genuine supply constraints and a real difference in production conditions.

For context: WA Jarrah honey from Forest Fresh is already lab-validated to TA50+ — an antimicrobial level equivalent to MGO 4000+ Manuka. The Varroa-free advantage adds another layer of assurance that this honey is produced under conditions that are becoming rarer by the year.

Forest Fresh Honey: Produced in WA's Protected Forests

Forest Fresh Honey is part of Australia's largest collective of independent commercial beekeepers and packers, based in Perth, Western Australia. Our Jarrah honey comes from the forests of south-west WA — a region that has maintained bee health standards that the rest of the country is now struggling to preserve.

Every batch is validated across 5 independent laboratories, with a Certificate of Analysis available for each product. The Jarrah Factor™, our proprietary quality standard, confirms both Total Activity and the full antimicrobial profile of every jar we produce.

The heritage behind this honey runs five generations, beginning with John Fewster's 12 hives in Muchea in 1916. Varroa-free WA honey isn't just a current advantage — it's a reflection of over a century of careful, science-backed stewardship.

Read more: Jarrah Honey vs Manuka — How They Compare

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Has Varroa mite reached Western Australia?
A: No. As of April 2026, Western Australia remains Varroa-free. The state's geographic isolation and active biosecurity programs — including surveillance stations along the Nullarbor — have kept the mite out. BICWA and DPIRD continue to invest in detection and prevention infrastructure.

Q: Does Varroa mite affect honey directly?
A: The mite itself does not enter or contaminate honey. Its impact is indirect: it weakens and kills bee colonies, reduces honey production, and forces beekeepers to use chemical treatments inside hives. These treatments change the production environment for the honey, even if they aren't present in the final product at detectable levels.

Q: Why does Varroa-free matter when buying honey?
A: Varroa-free bees are healthier, more productive, and produce honey without the need for miticide treatments in the hive. It's a cleaner production environment. As Varroa spreads across eastern Australia, WA honey represents an increasingly rare standard of natural bee health.

Q: Will the Varroa spread push up honey prices in Australia?
A: Likely yes, for quality Australian honey. Rising treatment costs, beekeeper attrition, and reduced pollination service availability are all placing upward pressure on production costs. Bulk imported honey from China, Argentina, and Brazil — which already accounts for a significant share of supermarket stock — will fill some of the gap, but premium single-origin Australian honey will become scarcer and more valuable.

Q: Are WA beekeepers taking Varroa seriously even though it hasn't arrived?
A: Absolutely. BICWA runs the Bee Pest Blitz every year, encouraging all registered beekeepers to conduct alcohol-wash hive checks. Bee Sentry monitoring units are deployed along key entry corridors. The WA Government has been lobbied to increase biosecurity investment in response to Varroa reaching South Australia in 2025.

Q: What TA rating is Forest Fresh Jarrah Platinum?
A: Forest Fresh Jarrah Platinum is rated TA50+ — equivalent to MGO 4000+ Manuka. It's validated across 5 independent laboratories and is among the highest-activity commercial honeys available in Australia. It is produced entirely from Varroa-free WA bee colonies.

Written by Matt Fewster, 5th generation of the Fewster family and co-founder of Forest Fresh Honey.

Sources: - Australian Government Outbreak — Varroa mite current situation: https://www.outbreak.gov.au/current-outbreaks/varroa-mite - ABC Rural — Treatment-resistant varroa mites spread (March 2026): https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2026-03-04/varroa-mite-treatment-chemical-resistance-bees/106409956 - Agriculture Victoria — Varroa mite current situation: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/pest-insects-and-mites/priority-pest-insects-and-mites/varroa-mite-of-honey-bees/varroa-mite-current-situation - BICWA — Varroa threat hits closer to home (September 2025): https://www.bicwa.com.au/post/varroa-threat-hits-closer-to-home-wa-industry-calls-for-urgent-biosecurity-investment - WA Government — Beekeepers encouraged to blitz bee pests (April 2025): https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/beekeepers-encouraged-blitz-bee-pests-april - ABC News — Varroa mite impacts worsen for NSW beekeepers (November 2025): https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-26/varroa-mite-impacts-worsen-nsw-beekeepers/106049860 - Avocados Australia — Varroa Mite Update September 2025: https://avocado.org.au/public-articles/varroa-mite-update-15-sept-2025/