The program provides funding for innovative projects that enhance varroa mite management in Queensland, preparing our beekeepers and pollination-reliant industries for future challenges.
Program objectives and outcomes
The Community Bee Innovation Fund (CBIF) grant program seeks to:
- boost Queensland's bee biosecurity
- increase bee-related business resilience
- protect our environment, economy, industries and communities from the impacts of varroa mite (Varroa destructor).
The $500,000 (excluding GST) program provides funding for innovative projects that enhance varroa mite management in Queensland, preparing our beekeepers and pollination-reliant industries for future challenges.
The grant program projects are underway and no more rounds of grants are planned.
Objective 1: Deliver innovative community engagement regarding varroa mite
Outcomes:
- Pollination-reliant industries in Queensland increase their knowledge of varroa mites and develop an awareness of the need to pay beekeepers for pollination services.
- Industries not targeted in conventional extension services increase their knowledge of varroa mites.
- Queensland beekeepers increase their knowledge and skills to incorporate varroa mite management into their business-as-usual activities.
- Partnerships are formed to create mutually beneficial outcomes for monitoring or managing varroa mites.
Objective 2: Develop innovative varroa mite management or monitoring tools
Outcomes:
- Queensland beekeepers access new or improved data-driven decision-making tools to choose appropriate varroa mite management or monitoring techniques.
- Queensland beekeepers adopt new or improved varroa mite management or monitoring techniques.
- The spread of varroa mites across Queensland is limited to natural spread as much as possible.
- Varroa mite populations are slow to establish in new areas.
Key dates
There were 3 rounds of funding:
- Round 1: Projects commenced July 2025.
- Round 2: Projects commenced January 2026.
- Round 3: Projects commenced July 2026.
No future rounds are planned.
Awarded rounds
Status:
- To commence: estimated start time for project
- Early implementation: project planning has commenced
- In delivery: project activities are in full delivery
- Complete: final project report has been submitted and finalised
- Withdrawn: not proceeding
Round 1
Funding of up to $150,000 was allocated to the following successful round 1 grant recipients.
| Organisation | Project scope | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Queensland Beekeepers Association Inc. | The Queensland Beekeepers Association will ensure the latest varroa mite information is freely available to all Queensland beekeepers and will provide practical in-apiary varroa mite training events. | In delivery |
| Gold Coast Amateur Beekeepers Society Inc. | Through free training events, the Gold Coast Amateur Beekeepers Society will increase the capability of Queensland beekeepers to incorporate biotechnical management options (i.e. brood interruptions and queen rearing) into their varroa mite integrated pest management strategies. | Complete |
| Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers Ltd. | Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers Ltd. will facilitate a series of varroa mite workshops to meet a need to support pollination-reliant growers. Queensland pollination-reliant growers will be engaged and educated about the varroa mite life cycle, the pest's impact on bees, pollination, produce yield and quality, and how growers can actively engage in partnerships with beekeepers for pollination services. | In delivery |
| Southern Beekeepers Association (Queensland) Inc. | Queensland beekeepers and the public will be actively engaged and educated about the seriousness and management of varroa mite by the Southern Beekeepers Association (Qld) Inc. The organisation will host free practical field days and attend community events to encourage widespread understanding and best practice monitoring and management. | In delivery |
Round 2
Funding of up to $176,000 was allocated to the following successful round 2 grant recipients.
| Organisation | Project scope | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bee Genetics Pty Ltd. | U-BEE-O testing and queen genotyping will be undertaken to identify high-performing breeder stock. A Mite Population Growth tracker app will be developed and freely available. How to use the app will be demonstrated at Queensland field days in addition to teaching varroa mite cultural management techniques. Instrumental insemination workshops will be held in a Queensland facility. | Withdrawn |
| Farmgate Honey Australia Pty Ltd. | Short documentary style varroa mite awareness films will be created and distributed to engage Queensland beekeepers, pollination-dependent industries, broader agricultural communities, and the public. | In delivery |
| Townsville and District Beekeepers Association Inc. | Events will be held across the regional centres of Townsville, the Herbert-Burdekin area and west to the Charters Towers area demonstrating how to use varroa controller units. | In delivery |
| Ipswich and West Moreton Beekeepers Association Inc. | Varroa mite management field days will be held in Queensland focused on teaching mechanical control methods including queen containment cages and drone frames. | In delivery |
| Berries Australia Ltd. | Varroa mite focus groups made up of Queensland berry growers and beekeepers will be established and coordinated. Focus group events will be held in the regions of south east Queensland, Stanthorpe and Bundaberg. Varroa mite articles and educational resources will be created and made freely available. | In delivery |
| Gold Coast Amateur Beekeepers Society Inc. | A varroa mite mentor upskill program will be developed and delivered to Queensland beekeepers who will then become leaders in varroa mite management and skilled to teach others. | In delivery |
| Northern Gulf Resource Management Group Ltd. | Workshops focusing on varroa mite information relevant to beekeepers and pollination-reliant growers will be delivered in the northern Gulf region of Queensland. For those unable to attend, a varroa mite training package will be made freely available for use. | In delivery |
Round 3
Funding of up to $177,000 was allocated to the following successful round 3 grant recipients.
| Organisation | Project Scope | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery & Garden Industry Qld Ltd | An educational tour of a Queensland production nursery will be undertaken focusing on varroa mite awareness, preparedness and management within pollination-reliant horticultural systems. | In delivery |
| Team-Australia Group Pty Ltd | Practical varroa mite workshops in Westbrook and Kooroongarra will target beekeepers, pollination-reliant industries, and broader community stakeholders. | In delivery |
| University of the Sunshine Coast | Research will be conducted to develop precision double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) solutions that can potentially selectively target varroa mites without effects on honeybees. | In delivery |
| Southern Beekeepers Association (Queensland) Inc. | Varroa mite training and regional resistance management workshops will be freely available. Public events will be attended with the aim of improving the general public’s awareness of the impacts of varroa mite. | In delivery |
| Queensland Beekeepers Association Inc. | Develop six regional varroa management plans and present them at workshops. Provide twenty individualised varroa mite treatment planning consultations to Queensland stakeholders. | In delivery |
| University of the Sunshine Coast | Research will be conducted to identify and test spider venom-derived peptide formulations that can potentially provide targeted control of varroa mites in honeybee colonies. | In delivery |
Contact us
Email varroa@dpi.qld.gov.au
Last updated: 07 Oct 2026