Australia's northernmost incursion of varroa mite detected in Queensland

In short:

Varroa destructor mite has been confirmed in two Far North Queensland beehives.

The new incursions mark the northernmost detection in the country.

Authorities say the new detections in two hives and a suspected third are about 1,000 kilometres north of the state's previous northernmost incursion.

The devastating honey bee parasite Varroa destructor mite has been found in Far North Queensland, the northernmost detection of the destructive pest in Australia.

Biosecurity Queensland confirmed two detections at El Arish and Cardwell, about 120 kilometres south of Cairns, on September 7 with a third suspected near Innisfail.

The new detections are about 1,000km north of the previous northernmost incursion.

Manager of Biosecurity Queensland's varroa mite innovation and resilience initiative Rob Stephens said the jump in distance was likely the result of human-assisted movement of hives from south-east Queensland.

"The identified hives have been successfully destroyed at the discretion of the beekeeper," he said.

"The threat is still there that there could have been further spread.

"Subsequent surveillance has also confirmed a third suspect detection in Innisfail, which is not thought to be linked to either of those two previous detections."

Varroa mite was first detected in Queensland in March 2025, and Mr Stephens said it had since spread across 26 local government areas across the state.

"We had our first detection in Gladstone in central Queensland in August, and just yesterday we confirmed a detection in Blackwater in the Central Highlands region," he said.

"Naturally, we would only really be expecting the varroa to probably move about 10 kilometres a year, maybe a little bit more.

"But with that human-assisted spread, it could move anywhere."

He said there was a risk it had spread further and urged beekeepers to be vigilant and test their hives monthly.

"We do expect you're going to get that natural spread, but you also are expecting human-assisted spread again because beekeepers are migratory by nature," Mr Stephens said.

"Pollination-reliant industries require commercial beekeepers to move their hives around.

"Unfortunately, it is a matter of time before we expect to see varroa mite endemic all throughout Queensland."

The Department of Primary Industries has a varroa mite surveillance map available online demonstrating where the pest has been detected within the state.