The Bee Lady Apiaries

23/06/2026

⚠️ Oxalic Acid Strip Chewing – An Observation

I’m suddenly seeing an increase in oxalic acid strip chewing, with some strips being heavily damaged or removed in less than 10 days in Carbrook.

This appears to coincide with rapid brood nest expansion and wax-building behaviour, which may be stimulating bees to remove or chew the strips more aggressively.

Has anyone else noticed the strips are disappearing faster than usual?

Is this seasonal? They were lasting very well in autumn. Now every colony seems to be on a mission to get rid of them as fast as possible.

Has anyone else observed the same?

21/06/2026

I’m trying to count mite drop, but looks like bees are on a mission to chew down the oxalic strips.

17/06/2026

In 2014, CSIRO identified Varroa mite as one of Australia’s potential biosecurity “megashocks”—high-impact events capable of causing widespread economic and environmental damage. Twelve years later, that prediction has become reality, with Varroa now established in Australia and reshaping the future of beekeeping and pollination services nationwide.

The CSIRO is warning that Australia should not become complacent in the face of potential biosecurity threats, which could range from a human disease pandemic to the invasion of a devastating wheat disease.

12/06/2026

I got a call late this morning and thought why not tell my story.

09/06/2026

A question I get asked regularly is:

“When will we have varroa-resistant bees?”

This article shares some thoughts on what resistance might actually look like, how long it may take to achieve, and why breeding resilient bees is a long-term process.

Your donations will help us breed varroa resistant bees.

04/06/2026

In less than twelve months we went from finding our first mite to losing over 200 colonies and watching resistant mites overwhelm some of Australia’s most valuable breeding stock. It’s good to see the message finally reaching the public, because this is no longer just a beekeeping issue—it’s a biosecurity, food production and agricultural sustainability issue.

Beekeepers in Queensland say they are "barely hanging on" a year after the varroa mite was detected in the state for the first time.

31/05/2026

Well said, Rick. This is an excellent summary of the resistant varroa situation and the challenges now facing Australian beekeepers. As someone dealing with resistant mites firsthand, this aligns closely with what I am seeing in the field. It is a complex and rapidly evolving situation. Rick has done a great job of explaining it in a balanced and practical way.

26/05/2026

Going back through the photos and videos from the varroa invasion stage has been confronting. Some are distressing, some scientifically interesting.

This one shows the damage varroa can do to emerging bees during heavy infestation pressure — bees trying to emerge already compromised before they even enter the adult population.