Reduce risk of varroa mite

Record each occurrence of biosecurity management practices for your bees, queens, hives, hive components, honey bee products, and appliances.

This includes keeping documentation for:

• varroa inspections and sampling
• varroa detections
• notification and eradication
• movements
• acquisitions
• disposals
• varroa treatments
• training.

For more information, refer to the specified hive management requirements.

Contact PIRSA immediately if you notice poor management or genuine non-compliance in beekeeping, including:

• the presence of dead-outs
• exposure
• robbing
• non-registration.

Check the entry requirements for your destination's jurisdiction, and apply for the appropriate permits and certificates, prior to moving:

• bees
• bee colonies
• apiary plant and equipment
• apiary products.

These requirements are also applicable for beekeepers re-entering SA. Learn more about conditions for moving bees and bee commodities.

Make sure all your hives are designed, constructed, operated and maintained to be bee-proof and leak-proof, except for appropriately sized entrances. This involves closing all:

• gaps between hive components by aligning and securing them
• other gaps using hive components or materials that are durable, such as timber, metal, plastic, or sealant that is securely affixed.

Weak hives

Follow the below steps if your hives have progressively or inexplicably weakened and you cannot identify why, or rectify your hive condition.

1. Inspect and sample for the presence of varroa.
2. Take close up photos or video of the brood frames.
3. Make sure the hive is bee-proof and leak-proof.
4. Store the hive in a secure location within bee-proof and rodent-proof enclosed storage, such as a shed, freezer (operational or non-operational), or container.
5. Record the relevant specified biosecurity management details.
6. Contact PIRSA immediately.

Swarms occurs during spring and summer. They can carry a significant load of unmanaged pests and diseases, including American foulbrood and varroa mites.

Preventing swarms is critical for environmental, social and biosecurity reasons. It also affects your hive management and bee productivity when swarm colonies die.

Prevention

These simple precautions can prevent swarming tendencies in your hives:

1. Re-queen every 1 to 2 years, with queens from hives that don’t display swarming tendencies. If preferred, use queens that are also marked, or wing clipped.
2. Conduct hive inspections every:
   • 3 to 5 weeks to add extra supers (preferably with foundation frames), or extract surplus honey as required. Make sure the hive has room for brood rearing and nectar storage.
   • 10 to 14 days during spring, to find and remove swarm cells that have been built.

Follow these hygiene steps to look after your bee biosecurity:

1. Prevent exposure and robbing.
2. Make sure your vehicle cabin is bee-free by:
   • parking away from hives
   • keeping doors and windows closed
   • spraying the interior with fly spray.
3. Wash your hands, gloves, and hive inspection equipment between hives using water and preferably detergent or sanitiser.
4. Keep your hive products and components bee-proof by placing all burr comb, queen cages, and hive related rubbish in sealed containers for isolation.
5. Remove all honey bees from your person and hive appliances before leaving each apiary.
6. Wear cleaned personal protective equipment to visit each apiary if possible, and then place it in a sealed bag for washing.

Barrier systems

We strongly recommend that you:

1. Identify hive components in individual hives or apiaries.
2. Restrict movement to within the identified hives or apiaries using a barrier system.