Bees
Varroa Mite Biosecurity Zone
A state wide Biosecurity (Varroa Mite) Emergency Order 2022 (No. 2) under the Biosecurity Act 2015 is in effect limiting movements of bees in NSW. The premise of the emergency order is to prevent the spread of Varroa destructor, commonly called the varroa mite, described as the number one threat for the Australia’s bee industry.
To protect the NSW honey industry this order means that all hives or bee products are in a state of lockdown. Within this biosecurity zone, no hive or bees can be moved, no honey or comb can be removed from hives.
Police along with biosecurity officers from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Local Land Services have been tasked with overseeing compliance.
For more information visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
General Beekeeping Information
The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) provides information on beekeepers' responsibilities (including the Beekeeping Code of Practice for NSW), the rights of the general public affected by beekeeping activities or nuisance bees, and what to do when bees swarm.
Bee Swarms
If you have a bee swarm in your backyard or local area please do not try and kill or interfere with the bees - the bees will not harm you if they are left alone.
To have a bee swarm removed and placed in a beehive, you can search for (via postcode) and contact a local beekeeper here.