We have to make some hard decisions to protect our bees. Varroa has the potential to wipe out our honey industry an our food supply. NT Bees Qld Dear Members, I’m writing to notify you that Asian Bees, Apis cerana, has been found at the port in Townsville. Two varroa mites have been detected and it would be expected that these will be V. jacobsoni, with molecular diagnostics expected within a week. The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources are working closely together to respond to the detection. The nest has been destroyed and further diagnostic testing and surveillance is underway to determine the nature and extent of the incident. Regards, Robert Varroa destructor is an external parasitic mite that attacks the honey bees Apis cerana and Apis mellifera. The disease caused by the mites is called varroosis. Varroa destructor can only reproduce in a honey bee colony. It attaches to the body of the bee and weakens the bee by sucking hemolymph. In this process, RNA viruses such as the deformed wing virus (DWV) spread to bees. A significant mite infestation will lead to the death of a honey bee colony, usually in the late autumn through early spring. The Varroa mite is the parasite with the most pronounced economic impact on the beekeeping industry. It may be a contributing factor to colony collapse disorder along with the most popular insecticide in the world Neonicotinoids.