News
15 May, 2025
Join fight against bee-killing mite
Woodford local and passionate beekeeper Caz O’Neill is leading the charge against the looming threat of Varroa destructor mites, urging beekeepers across Queensland to unite, get informed, and take urgent action.
As Secretary of the Northside Beekeepers Association Inc. (NBKA), Caz is helping spearhead a community-wide response as the devastating mite spreads further into southeast Queensland.
“There’s been a lot of hype and hyperbole around the loss of bees in the global media and especially what is happening in the US with bees right now,” she said. “Yet the potential losses of bees in Australia could easily eclipse the US experience this season over the next three years according to the experts.”
First detected in the Lockyer Valley in March and then in Tingalpa by April, the Varroa mite threatens not only bees but also pollination services and food production across the region.
“The facts are, that for both hobby and commercial beekeepers in SEQ right now, the only certain thing we know to help save our honeybee hives is getting the correct information and for beekeepers to be proactive,” she said.
NBKA, one of Queensland’s largest beekeeping clubs, covering areas from Brisbane’s northside to the Glass House Mountains, is responding by offering a free, hands-on Varroa training workshop in Wamuran on Saturday, June 14.
“Because this affects all beekeepers, members or not, our Club has chosen to deliver a free, hands-on training with the support of NBKA’s volunteer members and the local regional VDO, Tonya Johnson,” she said.
She warns that inaction, misinformation, or improper treatment could accelerate the spread.
“Doing nothing will not only likely mean the death of your hives, but your inaction could hasten the death of others’ hives and livelihoods within a 10km radius around you.”
For more information, visit northsidebeekeepers.org.au/resources/biosecurity-and-varroa.
