The world’s worst honey bee parasite, the Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite, was detected in South Australia for the first time, authorities confirmed on September 3, 2025. The detection occurred in a managed hive from a Queensland consignment located near Pooginook in the Riverland region.
Beekeepers across the United States reported record managed honeybee colony losses between April 2024 and April 2025, with over 60% of hives lost in Texas, according to preliminary survey results and beekeeper accounts. Nationwide, an estimated 55.6% of colonies died—marking the highest loss rate since official monitoring began in 2010.
Honeybee colonies in the United States reduced in number by 30 percent over the 2010-2011 winter, according to a recently released annual survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA).The loss was actually lower
