The Backyard Beekeeper

Wednesday 26/06/26
Varroa update re-done.... too many errors in the previously now deleted post - proves we are all human....

Anyways the attached AI image is designed to share - the image and commentary from Tony is real according to the ABC reporter.

The idea is to spread awareness and headlines seem to do this in the current world.

Share if you agree and want to make a difference....

There's is a letter also in the comments that can be sent to ministers and decision makers if you wish to contribute.

There is also round table meetings to take place with governments at this stage only industry bodies have been invited to attend.

Leave it with everyone thanks

Mid week varroa update as promised 17/06/26
- The idea of this post is to put continued pressure on both media and governments to support beekeepers in general.

- If you care about Farmers and Apis Millifera (European honey bees) and the beekeeping industry commercial and recreational, and what is currently happening to it then every Wednesday will be your chance to make a difference and take 5mins to help them.

It's easy
- please share far and wide the Pic we send through on social media platforms.

- please email the letter in the comments section by copying and pasting it, adding your name at the bottom (adds validity) and sending it to the media, politicians or those who can make a difference.

- we have also put in the comments suggested email contacts.

(Press and hold on the comments to copy then go to your emails and paste- you can do this with the email addresses and then separately with the letter, some of the emails arnt working, don't worry send anyways)

So it's very easy to do.

Why are we doing this?
Only Because it's the right thing to do!

We don't want likes -we want shares please from you, not us- make it your own post, it's yours to use for good not evil!

So many families, farmers and eventually every Australian will be impacted.
Our little business is on a knife's edge at the moment with costs but so so many are collapsing under the pressure of this and have no future in sight.

We don't want our commercial beekeepers or farmers to suffer anymore and we would like to see hope for beekeepers to make a come back with confidence.

We may not change today but I hope with everyone's support we can change tomorrow!!

Thanks
Rick and Team

Varroa update weekending 7th June 2026
- some momentum gaining within the media with 2 stories going to air from us this week...... see 10Newsplus interview below (click pic not link) or abc news and also landline today - hope it helps the industry.

We have also added "suspect resistance"although we don't have lab testing for these areas - we believe these areas have very high resistance to the synthetics miticide. (DPI have data not released yet)

- Westlake 1 hive - 50 mite count (post formic pro) (increasing-suspect resistance)
- Wishart 1 hive - 6 mite (increasing-suspect resistance)
- Everton park 20hives - avg 20/30per wash (increasing- suspect resistance)
- Beaudesert 22 hives - avg 6 mite (holding but expecting this to increase) ( poisoning symptoms in area)
- Riverview 1 hive - absconded- (suspected resistance)
- Mount Crosby 6 hives - collapsed -(increasing - suspect resistance)
- Toowong 1 hive - 20 mites (stable-suspect resistance)
- Clayfield 3 hive - 2 collapsed 1 - 30mite count (increasing again- suspect resistance)
- Indooroopilly 1 hive - 10 mites - (stable- suspect resistance)
- Sunnybank 1 hive - 30 mites (increasing suspect resistance-)
- Belbowrie 1 hive - 40mites (increasing-suspect resistance)
- seventeen mile rocks - 2 hives - avg 15 mites (increasing area- suspect resistance)
- cromahurst 2 hives - 1mite (stable)
- PalmView 3 hives - 1 mite (stable)

We lost our first colony this week and are expecting huge losses after having apivar in the apiaries for the last 4 weeks and not knowing we have 100% resistance until last week when the test results came back.

We are seeing huge mite drops from our oxalic vaporisation programs throughout Logan, Pullenvale and Carabrook areas. The amount of mite drop is significant in all these areas so the environmental pressure is unfortunately not slowing down.

As you will see by the summary we are still seeing very mixed results, the new incursion genetic ("super mite") is really making it extremely hard to deal with.
A combination of OA va**ng and strips is holding the numbers but the colonies need constant good nutrients pollen and syrup- Formic acid drops the numbers but comes with huge risks at this time of year for your queens and the bee deaths rates!are high.
Brood break again will most certainly work, but risky when the brood clusters are small and trying to stay warm at this time of year.

Yet to try thymol (apiguard) gel only because for us it requires replacement at 5 days and 14days if you want a full brood cycle and a rim spacer for the cartridges, it is also temperature sensitive above 15deg and below 40 deg - feel free to let people know if it's working if your using it especially in resistant areas.

Please share what's working, make sure you complete any of the surveys being sent out and keep the comments useful as useless comments just get deleted...

Thanks
The Backyard Beekeeping Team

Rick-
Gracie- superstar South
Steve- superstar west
Wifey - superstar north (yes she helped with hives up north)

Click pic for 10NewsPlus story

https://10.com.au/news/national/australian- 1 honeybees-under-attack-from-invasive-mites-10-news/tpv260605fswuq

National - 10 News All the latest National news with 10 News.

Sorry for the extra posts this week, but hot off the press thought I would share, ABC News
EDIT - News article https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17mLfmRzgj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A year since the varroa mite entered Qld, honey bee colonies have collapsed Beekeepers in Queensland say they are "barely hanging on" a year after the varroa mite was detected in the state for the first time.