Varroa Mite and Almond Pollination in Australia: 2026 Guide

Last verified: 29 August 2026. Varroa settings and movement conditions can change quickly. Beekeepers, pollination providers and growers should check the current rules for every origin, destination and transit jurisdiction before moving bees, hives, queen bees, bee products or used beekeeping equipment.

Varroa destructor is no longer accurately described as a new 2022 emergency that Australian authorities still expect to eradicate. It is established in New South Wales, has continued to spread in several mainland jurisdictions and must now be managed as an ongoing bee-health and pollination risk. This does not mean every hive is infested, every jurisdiction has the same status or almond pollination will fail. It means monitoring, evidence-based management and careful pollination planning are essential.

The 2026 position in brief

• NSW DPIRD says Varroa is established in NSW. A beekeeper must report the first detection in their hives; a beekeeper who has already notified NSW DPIRD does not need to report the same presence again.
• Agriculture Victoria’s current situation page records continued spread across NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia and reports resistance to important synthetic miticide groups.
• The national Transition to Management Program ended on 6 February 2026. Its resources remain available, but the National Varroa Mite Management Program website is frozen at that date and directs users to state and industry sources for current local information.
• Varroa remains notifiable nationally. Positive detections must be reported to the relevant state authority, subject to that authority’s instructions about repeat reporting.

What happened in 2022, and what changed?

Varroa was first detected in Australian surveillance hives at the Port of Newcastle in June 2022. The initial national response pursued eradication and introduced emergency zones, movement controls and operational deadlines. Those measures belong to the response history; they should not be copied into current pollination instructions.

In September 2023, the National Management Group determined that eradication was no longer possible. A Transition to Management phase was approved in February 2024 to slow spread, build beekeeper capability, provide management options and support pollination security. That program ceased on 6 February 2026. Current decisions therefore start with the live page for the relevant state or territory—not a 2022 media release, map or permit deadline.

Check the jurisdiction before moving a pollination load

Do not treat “Australia” as one movement zone. Check the authority pages when planning the route, again before dispatch and whenever a detection or treatment issue arises.

• New South Wales: use the NSW DPIRD Varroa hub for current monitoring, management, reporting and movement links. If Varroa has never been reported from your hives, the first detection must be notified. For bee-health support, email bee.biosecurity@dpird.nsw.gov.au.
• Victoria: Agriculture Victoria says the statewide Varroa control-area order was removed on 11 September 2025. A Varroa permit is no longer required merely because bees or hives are entering from a state where Varroa is present, but a health certificate is still required for introductions of bees, bee products, queen bees or used beekeeping equipment from any state or territory. Check the live certificate conditions before travel.
• South Australia: PIRSA’s almond-pollination guidance alerts users that Varroa has been detected in SA. Pollination operators must follow current hive-management, sampling, record and disease-reporting requirements. Contact the PIRSA Apiary Unit at pirsa.beebiosecurity@sa.gov.au.
• Every other jurisdiction: this article does not reproduce local movement rules. Check the origin, destination and any transit authority directly. Do not infer that a Victorian or NSW rule applies elsewhere.

Monitoring, integrated pest management and resistance

Monitoring is a management control, not a one-off pre-movement formality. NSW DPIRD recommends monitoring mite levels monthly wherever possible, retaining the results and using a recognised sampling method. Follow the method, frequency and treatment threshold specified by the authority for your location and operation.

Keep records that connect the result to the actual load: apiary and hive identifiers, location, date, sampling method, result, person conducting the check, any action taken, product and batch details where applicable, and follow-up results. Continue checking during and after treatment so poor efficacy is detected early. A low count from another apiary or an old test is not evidence for the hives being supplied.

Integrated pest management combines monitoring with cultural, mechanical and, where justified, chemical controls. Do not rely on repeated use of one chemical group. NSW and Victorian authorities warn that resistance can make treatments perform below expectation. If mite numbers rise during treatment or control appears to fail, seek technical assistance and report suspected resistance to the relevant authority rather than simply repeating the same treatment.

APVMA label and permit check

This article intentionally gives no product dose or treatment recipe. Before purchasing or using a miticide, use the APVMA’s PubCRIS and Permits databases, open the current product record, label and any permit, and confirm that the proposed use is lawful for the pest, host, state and circumstances on the day of use. Follow every label and permit condition. A brand name, overseas direction, old factsheet or another beekeeper’s practice is not a substitute for the current Australian approval.

Plan almond pollination around hive health

Almond orchards concentrate many hives in one place, increasing opportunities for drift, robbing and disease spread. Growers and pollination providers should agree in writing on hive numbers, contracted strength, delivery and removal windows, inspection access, responsibility for records, the response to a positive test or suspected treatment failure, and how an unsuitable load will be replaced.

PIRSA advises almond pollinators to use barrier systems, inspect brood regularly—including Varroa sampling—report suspected disease promptly and supply only hives of the recommended or contracted strength. Hives should be bee-proof and leak-proof apart from appropriate entrances, secured after unloading, monitored regularly and removed from high-density areas if their condition is poor. Feeding must be managed in-hive so spills and robbing are avoided. Placement should minimise drift and interaction while allowing safe access for growers, auditors and biosecurity officers.

Before bloom, exchange current monitoring evidence and confirm each party’s escalation contacts. During pollination, inspect colony condition and keep load-level records. After removal, record the destination and complete the follow-up monitoring required by the relevant authority or management plan. Do not publish a percentage yield-loss prediction unless it comes from current, crop- and season-specific evidence; Varroa risk is real, but an unsupported forecast is not a pollination plan.

Report promptly and use the right authority

The national Exotic Plant Pest Hotline is 1800 084 881. Victoria and South Australia direct suspected Varroa reports to this number. NSW provides its own reporting form and guidance on the NSW DPIRD Varroa page. Suspected chemical treatment failure should also be reported through the relevant state channel.

A grower or worker may submit a site or workforce concern through Orchard Tech’s Get in Touch page. For movement approvals and regulatory decisions, use the relevant government authority; for diagnosis or treatment selection, use the relevant authority or a suitably qualified bee-health adviser.

Publisher: Orchard Tech. Primary authorities reviewed: NSW DPIRD, Agriculture Victoria, PIRSA, APVMA and the National Varroa Mite Management Program. Review by: 30 November 2026, or immediately after a change to jurisdictional status, movement conditions, resistance advice or APVMA approvals.