General News
16 April, 2026
Angry mite poses national food security threat, says apiarist
VARROA mite looms as the major threat to biosecurity in Australia’s beekeeping industry.
VARROA mite looms as the major threat to biosecurity in Australia’s beekeeping industry.
Victorian Apiarists’ Association president Lindsay Callaway, a fifth-generation beekeeper based in Maldon, says varroa is not not just a beekeeping issue, it is a national food security issue.
“Reduced pollination will directly impact crop yields and food security, increase food prices, fuel inflation and therefore affect every Australian,” he said.
“For every dollar invested in protecting bees, we safeguard thousands—if not hundreds of thousands—of dollars in agricultural production.
The association says a recently completed federal inquiry with no actionable findings “leaves critical gaps in Australia’s biosecurity system unresolved”.
“After four years and more than $100 million spent on eradication efforts, the report delivers no confirmed entry pathway, no timeline of arrival, and no actionable findings,” the association said after the report was released last month.
“Varroa mite is a tiny brown and very destructive parasite of honey bee colonies. It attaches itself to, and feeds off, both honey bee adults and larvae, weakening them and potentially spreading disease.
“Varroa is regarded as one of the most serious threats to Australia’s pollination-dependent agriculture and food production systems, which are worth over $12.9 billion annually.”
Mr Callaway said: “Australians deserve accountability. Instead, this report highlights complexity without delivering answers.”
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