Western bee keepers will benefit from a team of 48 trainers who have been deployed to help prepare for Varroa mite.

The trainers have been upskilled and appointed across every state and territory to hold Varroa management workshops aimed at helping keepers tackle the parasite, which can cripple hives.

The announcement on trainer deployment, made 16 December, comes just over 12 months after the National Management Group decided Varroa mite eradication was no longer possible.

“Following the decision to transition to management, the National Management Group agreed that widespread education and training was essential for industries to continue to move forward”, National Varroa Transition to Management Coordinator Tamara Prentice said.

“This is a positive outcome for all beekeepers, and I urge them to take advantage of the trainers' expertise, even if the parasite has yet to be detected in their area.”

The free workshops were first held in February 2024.

No new workshops are scheduled so far for the Western Plains region, although trainers are able to come and present tailored sessions to groups of beekeepers if asked.

A hotspot map of Varroa mite detections since June 2022. The cooler colours indicate no detection from inspection IMAGE: NSW Government

Varroa mite were first detected in June 2022 in the Port of Newcastle.

They have also been detected in at least one hive in the Narromine area in the last 16 weeks, according to the NSW government's Varrao mite heat map.

Narromine recreational beekeeper Ross Campbell, who has been keeping bees since about 1969, said he is concerned for the future of his hives.

"You can get rid of American foulbrood, you can get rid of European Foulbrood, you can get rid of all the other stuff. You can't ever get rid of mites. Never, never, ever will we get rid of mites," Mr Campbell said.

"People come to me and they say, 'well you're a very experienced beekeeper. What do we do?'

"I generally say I am just as much in the dark as you guys are regarding these mites. It's a learning game for all of us."

The workshops run under the National Varroa Mite Management Program, while the NSW government says another 272 have been locked in across Australia for 2025.