🐝 Varroa Management

How We Protect Our Bees and Your Honey

Varroa mite is now one of the biggest challenges facing Australian beekeeping. At Pure Coastal Honey, we believe education and transparency are just as important as producing great honey. This page explains what Varroa is, how it affects bees, and how we responsibly manage our hives while aiming to use the gentlest treatments possible.

🧬 What is Varroa Mite?

Varroa destructor is a tiny external parasite that feeds on honey bees and reproduces inside brood cells. While small, its impact is significant.

Varroa mites:

  • Weaken developing bees

  • Spread harmful viruses

  • Shorten colony lifespan

  • Can cause colony collapse if unmanaged

Since arriving in Australia, Varroa has changed how all beekeepers must care for their hives. Doing nothing is no longer an option — responsible management is essential for bee welfare.

🔍 How We Monitor Our Hives

At Pure Coastal Honey, treatment decisions are based on measured data, not guesswork.

We regularly monitor our apiaries using:

  • Alcohol wash mite counts

  • Routine hive inspections

  • Apiary-wide surveillance across locations

  • Seasonal tracking of colony strength

Monitoring allows us to understand when intervention is truly needed and helps avoid unnecessary treatments.

Recent monitoring across our apiaries has shown periods of zero detectable mites following treatment, demonstrating the effectiveness of careful management and regular surveillance.

🌿 Our Treatment Philosophy

Our goal is always to support bee health while minimising chemical impact wherever possible.

We aim to follow an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach that prioritises:

  • Prevention before treatment

  • Organic and softer treatment options where effective

  • Rotation of methods to reduce resistance

  • Maintaining strong, resilient colonies

Whenever possible, we prefer treatments considered closer to organic practice, such as organic acids and management techniques that work with natural bee behaviour.

However, bee welfare comes first. If mite levels threaten colony survival, approved veterinary treatments may be used responsibly and according to Australian regulations.

🛠 When Treatments Are Needed

All treatments used in our hives are:

  • Approved for use in Australia

  • Applied according to label instructions

  • Used only when monitoring thresholds are reached

  • Managed to ensure honey harvest safety

We carefully separate treatment periods from honey harvesting to ensure the honey you purchase remains pure and safe.

🍯 Honey Safety and Transparency

Customers often ask whether treated hives produce safe honey.

Australian honey standards are among the strictest in the world. Treatments are applied within the brood area and managed under regulated conditions designed to protect honey intended for consumption.

At Pure Coastal Honey we also:

  • Harvest outside treatment periods

  • Follow withholding and management guidelines

  • Maintain detailed apiary records

  • Communicate openly about our practices

We never claim our honey is certified organic — because bees naturally forage across wide landscapes beyond human control. Instead, we focus on responsible, ethical, and transparent beekeeping.

📊 Our Integrated Pest Management Approach

Our long-term strategy combines multiple methods:

  • Regular monitoring and mite counts

  • Maintaining strong colonies

  • Strategic splitting and colony renewal

  • Drone brood management where appropriate

  • Treatment rotation to prevent resistance

  • Ongoing adoption of new monitoring technology (including hive sensor systems)

This balanced approach helps reduce reliance on heavier interventions while keeping colonies healthy.

🌱 Continuous Learning and Innovation

Beekeeping in Australia is changing rapidly. We actively follow new research, trial new management ideas, and share what we learn through our website and community updates.

Our aim is simple:

Healthy bees → ethical management → high-quality honey.

🐝 Why This Matters to Your Honey

Healthy colonies produce better honey. By carefully managing Varroa mites and prioritising bee welfare, we ensure our bees can thrive in coastal Northern Rivers environments while continuing to produce small-batch honey that reflects our local landscape.

When you buy Pure Coastal Honey, you are supporting transparent, modern Australian beekeeping focused on sustainability and care for both bees and customers.

From Our Apiaries

We regularly share real monitoring updates, hive management insights, and seasonal conditions through our blog and social media so customers can follow the journey of their honey from hive to jar.