1oth April 2026

Amitraz Resistant Varroa Confirmed in NSW

Amitraz resistance has now been confirmed in New South Wales. The same populations in NSW that previously tested positive for pyrethroid resistance, are also now confirmed to have amitraz resistance.
Based on the current testing the geographical spread appears to be limited. This confirmation is in addition to the previous confirmation of pyrethroid and amitraz resistance in Southeast QLD.

Within these resistant populations, both pyrethroid (Bayvarol and Apistan) and amitraz (Apivar and Apitraz) treatments are less likely to be effective and, in some cases, complete treatment failure has been reported. For the majority of beekeepers in both NSW and QLD, treatments will continue to be effective due to the resistant populations being limited in their distribution.

This means that beekeepers who do not have confirmed resistance should continue to use all available options to control mites. Beekeepers must ensure they ROTATE modes of action and MONITOR for efficacy of treatments.

NSW DPIRD has confirmed that there are no new exotic virus’ detected in these mite populations. However, investigations are continuing to establish the distribution of miticide resistance in NSW.

We acknowledge that this news, on top of existing pressures on beekeepers, is a lot to cope with.

Taking Care of Yourself and your Mates

We acknowledge that ongoing challenges facing our industry can be incredibly difficult to navigate. If you are having a really hard day, feeling overwhelmed, unsure where to start, are experiencing anxiety, depression or looking for ways to support a friend, we encourage you to reach out to available resources for support. Mental health, counselling and financial support are available from many services:

• Lifeline, 13 11 14
• Rural Aid (Mon to Fri 9am – 5pm), 1300 175 594
• Rural Financial Counselling Services
• Black Dog Institute
• Beyond Blue, 1300 22 46 36

Did you know?

Beyond Blue have developed “NewAccess”, a tailored mental health coaching program for small business owners, available by phone or online from anywhere in Australia. “NewAccess” is a free, confidential mental health coaching program, designed to help small business owners and sole traders manage stress, worry and overwhelm. Enquire today online or call: 03 9250 8305

 

CLICK HERE TO OPEN This Update IN PDF

 

Refer to the AHBIC Varroa Chemical Treatment Table for a quick guide to modes of action and better treatment understanding.

 

 

 

Bianca Giggins

Industry Development Manager

0402 467 780

bianca@honeybee.org.au

AHBIC, its employees, executive and consultants expressly disclaim all and any liability to any person in respect of anything, and the consequences of anything, done or omitted to be done in reliance, whether wholly, partly, upon the whole or any part of the contents of this industry update document.