Beyond the Hive
Hive losses
Commercial beekeeping
After a successful honey season these beekeepers prepared their hives for a short break over the holiday season. Upon their return they discovered Varroa had overrun their hives resulting in half of their operation being lost to the mite. The beekeeper speaks about the events leading up to the loss, what happened after and how it has affected their business.
Profile
Name: Anonymous
Location: North Coast NSW
Years in the Industry: 2nd generation beekeeper operating a commercial business for 10 years
Number of Hives: 600-700
Operation type: Honey production
Varroa Discovery
Beekeepers with a family business performed washes on hives in October 2024 and found no mites. They then carried on with a big honey flow season and prepared for some time off over Christmas and early January. All hives were checked before the break, but no more washes were done, and healthy bees were in every hive.
When the beekeeper returned, they found that half of their bees had died.
In the first load of 60 they found the majority of hives had died with only 8 hives remaining. After another month only 4 hives had survived.
Another load of hives sent to a different location, 40 hives out of a 60-hive load were also dead.
A load of 120 hives in a third location were completely lost.
After such a sudden and devastating loss the beekeepers suspected ‘foul play’ but soon discovered the losses were due to Varroa with over 100 mites found in an alcohol wash.
‘Our biggest regret with our hives is we didn’t check earlier.’
Initially 350 hives were lost to Varroa but the beekeepers continued to lose hives even after miticides were placed in remaining hives.
‘We’ve never lost this many hives to any pest or any other problem in the past.’
After the devastation caused by the Varroa mite the beekeepers saw small hive beetle then take over the weakened hives causing slime outs.
Looking to the future
Moving forward the beekeepers are checking their hives for Varroa at least once a month. They have split their hives in preparation for next honey season and are closely monitoring for Varroa and treating hives.
‘We want to learn from our mistakes and not repeat it.’
Impacts on the business
With two families supported by the business losing half their hives has been a big hit. The beekeepers relied heavily on the support of friends and peers in the beekeeping community while they dealt with the loss.
They are hopeful that in sharing their story they will help other beekeepers to not make the same mistakes they have.