The Journal of the Victorian Apiarists' Association
By Kris Fricke What do you think when you hear the term PMS? What if your friend tells you, as you catch him getting out of his bee truck looking harried, “ah, mate, the girls have PMS”? “Parasitic Mite Syndrome” was coined in the United States in 1994 when both tracheal and varroa mites were … Read more
By Kris Fricke (& substantial quotes from Bruce Ward) Werribee Mystery Mite On the evening of Monday April 6th Werribee area beekeeper David Ross posted on the Werribee Beekeepers‟ facebook page: Tonight I had a bee come inside that was clearly struggling, I put it out of its misery with a cloth and a large … Read more
By Kris Fricke I‟d have thought we can all agree that you shouldn‟t engage in “risky behaviour” with multiple partners of unknown infectious disease status without any protection, right? But that has been the policy recommendation of the National Varroa Mite Management Program. “Don‟t use miticides prophylactically” they say, (ie, as a protective measure) if … Read more
By Andrew Wootton Once again, we are faced with unwelcome news – amitraz resistant mites have been found in Australia.1 Perhaps even more alarming is that AHBIC states that these are genetically distinct from the original mite incursion, confirming a second breach of our (once vaunted, now porous) biosecurity border. How long until deformed wing … Read more
Danny LeFeuvre, CEO AHBIC, 2026 There has been commentary across industry about the APVMA process for varroa miticides and what role AHBIC plays. It is important to separate three things: emergency permits, full product registrations, and AHBIC‟s advocacy role. Emergency permits Emergency permits are temporary approvals used to legalise the use of an agvet chemical … Read more
From Agriculture Victoria Varroa mites resistant to pyrethroid chemicals have been detected in an apiary located in north-east Victoria. We are currently undertaking further analysis of samples with results expected at the end of the month. This detection follows reports of varroa mites resistant to pyrethroid and formamidine [amitraz] chemicals (commonly used chemicals to control … Read more
Management doesn’t block natural Varroa resistance – It buys time for it by Nathan Whitford The big question: ―If the long-term goal is naturally varroa-resistant bees, how does using chemicals fit into that?‖ The honest answer is… it doesn‘t. Not directly. But the bigger picture matters, and in Australia the picture is huge. Here in … Read more
By Andrew Wootton Last month I attended two compelling meetings: the NSW Apiarists‘ Association Conference and a webinar hosted by the Sustainable Beekeepers Guild of Michigan. The creativity being applied to the varroa problem is inspiring. I‘ll share some highlights. Mount Panorama Lookout Sam Ramsey (yes, he of fat body fame – Dr Ramsey first … Read more
New Zealand’s warning to Australia By Mike Allerton In November 2025, New Zealand confirmed the discovery of yellow-legged hornets, Vespa velutina, on Auckland’s north shore. For Australian beekeepers, the news was sobering. New Zealand had until then been free of the pest, and its arrival brought a threat already familiar to beekeepers in Europe and … Read more
By Kris Fricke In the official training we provided we were told to tell beekeepers after an alcohol wash to securely bag the dead bees and dispose of them into the waste management system. The legal basis for this is presumably one or both of the following: The Australian Honey Bee Industry Code of Practice … Read more