❓ WA parliament questions DPIRD on Varroa mite preparedness, traceability, surveillance, and response plans. The answers reveal gaps in real-time tracking, compliance, and budget specificity, while highlighting ongoing efforts and collaborations.
AnsweredQoN 1718Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the honey bee and pollination industry and the threat of Varroa Mite and I ask: (a) what traceability system does the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) currently reply on to track the location and movement of beehives in Western Australia; (b) with hive movement reporting mandatory in WA, what proportion of beekeepers are complying with those requirements; (c) if Varroa is detected, how quickly can DPIRD trace and contact beekeepers within a defined radius, and has that been tested; (d) does DPIRD have real-time visibility of hive movements throughout the year; (e) since June 2022, what improvements to hive traceability have been recommended, identified or developed by DPIRD or industry: (i) have any of these improvements been implemented; and (ii) if not, why not; (f) as the surveillance system DPIRD currently relies on sentinel hives to detect the presence of Varroa in bin beehives: (i) how many sentinel hives are currently in operation and where are they located; and (ii) how often are sentinel hives inspected and what test methods are used; (g) what is the earliest point at which DPIRD expected its surveillance system would detect Varroa after an incursion with the current system; (h) what confidence level does DPIRD have that an incursion would be detected before widespread establishment; (i) since June 2022, what improvements to surveillance have been recommended, identified or developed by DPIRD or industry: (i) have any of these improvements been implemented; and (ii) if not, why not; (j) how many compliance officers are specifically tasked with apiary biosecurity and Varroa-related enforcement; (k) how many beekeepers have failed to update hive locations in the past 12 months: (i) what compliance action was taken; (l) what proportion of WA's registered apiaries are participating in surveillance activities, and how is participation tracked; (m) how many inspections for bee and hive material were undertaken at WA entry points including state borders, ports, airports, freight hubs, mail centres and high-risk industrial sites in: (i) 2024-25; and (ii) 2025-26; (n) how many notices, infringements or corrective actions have been issued and followed up as a result of compliance activities since June 2022; (o) what is the total budget allocated to Varroa prevention and preparedness in 2025-26: (i) how does that compare to 2024-25; (p) if the Agricultural Produce Commission (APC) collects fees for service every year to assist with improving biosecurity, what percentage of beekeepers pay; (q) what is the total funds collected each year for the last 5 years; (r) is there a current WA Varroa incursion response plan: (i) does it implement learnings from eastern states' failures; and (ii) will the Minister table the response plan; (s) what is WA's planned control strategy if Varroa is detected and has to Minister approved this strategy; and (t) what compensation, assistance or support would be available to WA beekeepers in the event of movement controls or hive destruction?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
17 March 2026
Responded by
Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture and Food
Response time
9 days
(a) The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) utilises a registration-based system known as the Brands Beekeeper Register for hive traceability.
(b) Targeted compliance audits indicate a moderate level of non-compliance, with DPIRD continuing to work with industry to improve compliance with regulatory requirements to support traceability and safeguard Western Australia’s (WA) biosecurity.
(c) The Brands Beekeeper Register enables registered beekeepers to be contacted within one business day.
(d) No.
(e) – (e) (i-ii)
The Bee Industry Council of Western Australia (BICWA), with Australian government funding, is working on a centralised digital traceability platform for possible introduction. DPIRD continues to work with BICWA on options to support the delivery of a digital traceability system. Implementation is subject to governance, cyber-security, legislative and funding considerations, with further industry consultation required before any mandatory system could be introduced.
(f) DPIRD delivers a number of surveillance activities for early varroa mite detection, including sentinel hives.
(i) 44 sentinel hives operate at key locations including Fremantle, Kwinana, Perth industrial areas, Bunbury, Albany, Esperance, Geraldton and Derby.
(ii) Sentinel hives are sampled regularly. Surveillance methodologies include visual inspection, acaricide /sticky mat checks, alcohol-wash and sugar-shake sampling.
(g) DPIRD’s surveillance system is designed to detect a varroa mite incursion in a sentinel hive within approximately 6 weeks of entry at these locations.
(h) DPIRD is confident that an incursion would be detected before widespread establishment, noting that the particulars of any incursion depend on the nature, place and scale of the event, and beekeepers’ compliance with surveillance, traceability and reporting requirements.
(i) – (i) (i-ii) WA’s border quarantine controls, targeted surveillance and beekeeper monitoring have been reviewed to ensure they meet an appropriate level of protection and align with national programs. Early detection has been strengthened through the expansion and re-targeting of sentinel hives at high-risk entry points.
(j) DPIRD biosecurity staff undertake a range of roles to support state and national bee biosecurity matters. Specifically:
- 4 full time equivalent officers have responsibility for surveillance and compliance in the beekeeping industry
- Quarantine WA officers undertaking interstate border related activities including compliance and inspection activities
- Biosecurity Compliance Officers and specialist compliance staff support investigation and enforcement action as required.
(k) – (k) (i) It is not possible to determine which proportion of beekeepers have failed to update hive location within a 12-month period. Known non-compliance is managed under a structured escalation process, including education, warning notices and infringements .
(l) There are a number of surveillance activities at a state and national level. It is not possible to determine the total number of WA apiaries contributing to surveillance across these as beekeepers may participate in more than one. The most comprehensive single dataset is through the voluntary National Bee Biosecurity Blitz. In 2025-26, approximately 5.2% of registered WA beekeepers submitted surveillance results.
(m)
(i) 3,161,639 quarantine screenings were undertaken across airline passengers, parcels, trucks, commercial trailers and rail and sea containers in 2024-25. These screenings resulted in 410,721 quarantine inspections.
(ii) Data for 2025-26 is not available as the reporting year is not yet complete.
(n) Three infringement notices and 13 warning notices.
(o) – (o) (i) DPIRD delivers an integrated biosecurity system across pre-border, border and post-border activities that includes, but is not limited to, varroa prevention and preparedness. There is no separate budget allocation for varroa across all of these activities. Refer to QoN 793.
(p) DPIRD collects an annual fee from all beekeeper producers on behalf of the Agricultural Produce Commission (APC). As at 18 February 2026, DPIRD had received 2025 annual fees from 2633 beekeepers which represents approximately 58% of beekeepers registered at 1 January 2025.
(q) 2021-22 financial year $77,340
2022-23 financial year $86,807
2023-24 financial year $50,215
2024-25 financial year $178,767
2025-26 financial year to date $178,308
(r) Yes. Refer to QoN 793.
(i) The response plan considers learnings from experiences in other jurisdictions.
(ii) No. It is an operational document.
(s) Should varroa be detected in WA, DPIRD would activate established response arrangements. The final strategy would depend on multiple incursion factors.
(t) DPIRD supports beekeepers through on-the-ground support, training and management resources to strengthen surveillance, adopt best practice management and maintain business resilience, and would continue to do so in the event of a response. As varroa mite is considered established in Australia owner reimbursement costs for losses associated with varroa would not be applicable.
(b) Targeted compliance audits indicate a moderate level of non-compliance, with DPIRD continuing to work with industry to improve compliance with regulatory requirements to support traceability and safeguard Western Australia’s (WA) biosecurity.
(c) The Brands Beekeeper Register enables registered beekeepers to be contacted within one business day.
(d) No.
(e) – (e) (i-ii)
The Bee Industry Council of Western Australia (BICWA), with Australian government funding, is working on a centralised digital traceability platform for possible introduction. DPIRD continues to work with BICWA on options to support the delivery of a digital traceability system. Implementation is subject to governance, cyber-security, legislative and funding considerations, with further industry consultation required before any mandatory system could be introduced.
(f) DPIRD delivers a number of surveillance activities for early varroa mite detection, including sentinel hives.
(i) 44 sentinel hives operate at key locations including Fremantle, Kwinana, Perth industrial areas, Bunbury, Albany, Esperance, Geraldton and Derby.
(ii) Sentinel hives are sampled regularly. Surveillance methodologies include visual inspection, acaricide /sticky mat checks, alcohol-wash and sugar-shake sampling.
(g) DPIRD’s surveillance system is designed to detect a varroa mite incursion in a sentinel hive within approximately 6 weeks of entry at these locations.
(h) DPIRD is confident that an incursion would be detected before widespread establishment, noting that the particulars of any incursion depend on the nature, place and scale of the event, and beekeepers’ compliance with surveillance, traceability and reporting requirements.
(i) – (i) (i-ii) WA’s border quarantine controls, targeted surveillance and beekeeper monitoring have been reviewed to ensure they meet an appropriate level of protection and align with national programs. Early detection has been strengthened through the expansion and re-targeting of sentinel hives at high-risk entry points.
(j) DPIRD biosecurity staff undertake a range of roles to support state and national bee biosecurity matters. Specifically:
- 4 full time equivalent officers have responsibility for surveillance and compliance in the beekeeping industry
- Quarantine WA officers undertaking interstate border related activities including compliance and inspection activities
- Biosecurity Compliance Officers and specialist compliance staff support investigation and enforcement action as required.
(k) – (k) (i) It is not possible to determine which proportion of beekeepers have failed to update hive location within a 12-month period. Known non-compliance is managed under a structured escalation process, including education, warning notices and infringements .
(l) There are a number of surveillance activities at a state and national level. It is not possible to determine the total number of WA apiaries contributing to surveillance across these as beekeepers may participate in more than one. The most comprehensive single dataset is through the voluntary National Bee Biosecurity Blitz. In 2025-26, approximately 5.2% of registered WA beekeepers submitted surveillance results.
(m)
(i) 3,161,639 quarantine screenings were undertaken across airline passengers, parcels, trucks, commercial trailers and rail and sea containers in 2024-25. These screenings resulted in 410,721 quarantine inspections.
(ii) Data for 2025-26 is not available as the reporting year is not yet complete.
(n) Three infringement notices and 13 warning notices.
(o) – (o) (i) DPIRD delivers an integrated biosecurity system across pre-border, border and post-border activities that includes, but is not limited to, varroa prevention and preparedness. There is no separate budget allocation for varroa across all of these activities. Refer to QoN 793.
(p) DPIRD collects an annual fee from all beekeeper producers on behalf of the Agricultural Produce Commission (APC). As at 18 February 2026, DPIRD had received 2025 annual fees from 2633 beekeepers which represents approximately 58% of beekeepers registered at 1 January 2025.
(q) 2021-22 financial year $77,340
2022-23 financial year $86,807
2023-24 financial year $50,215
2024-25 financial year $178,767
2025-26 financial year to date $178,308
(r) Yes. Refer to QoN 793.
(i) The response plan considers learnings from experiences in other jurisdictions.
(ii) No. It is an operational document.
(s) Should varroa be detected in WA, DPIRD would activate established response arrangements. The final strategy would depend on multiple incursion factors.
(t) DPIRD supports beekeepers through on-the-ground support, training and management resources to strengthen surveillance, adopt best practice management and maintain business resilience, and would continue to do so in the event of a response. As varroa mite is considered established in Australia owner reimbursement costs for losses associated with varroa would not be applicable.
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