🇦🇺🐨🦘 A Message of Hope for Australian Beekeepers 🦘🐨🇦🇺

When varroa reaches shores where bees are naïve to its presence, it does not knock politely. Invariably, it tears through apiaries like wildfire, overwhelming colonies with no natural defenses. Losses of defenseless colonies often exceed 80%, leaving even the most passionate beekeepers shaken to their core.

I do understand the instinct to protect bees with “medicine,” poisons, and interventions aimed at killing mites. I have stood over struggling colonies, wondering: is it kinder to step back and let Nature take its course, even if it means their end, or to intervene in an attempt to save unfit genetics, or simply shorten their suffering by actively culling them out of the gene pool? But I could never fathom subjecting my bees to toxic or caustic treatments, and I did not want to use pesticides when I knew I could one day consume that honey.

Instead, here is what I have learned, keeping bees in the US and in Africa: whenever we intervene, we interfere with Natural Selection: bees already carry within them traits of resiliency and the wisdom of survival, written into their genes over millions of years. Those traits simply need time (and the opportunity) to become activated. Bees’ complex reproductive strategies (polyandry, genetic recombination, and diversity within colonies) are Nature’s powerful tools for resilience and drivers of rapid adaptation.
These strategies allow them to quickly tap into rare alleles tied to survival or co-opt existing traits that can address new threats.
If given space and relatively short time, bees invariably rise stronger than before.

I have watched this unfold in my own apiaries: I manage nearly 400 thriving, treatment-free colonies in the US, where varroa has been endemic for over three decades.
I did not save them; I watched them save themselves.
Over time, bees and mites reached balance, a delicate dance of predator and host where both can coexist.
My role has become that of a steward, not a savior. I confidently let the bees do the work, knowing they will save themselves into strong and powerful beings when given the opportunity.

Ironically, Australia now stands at a crossroad, where the US stood over 30 years ago, facing losses that will feel devastating.
It will be tempting to fight Nature, to prop up weak genetics , and to embark on a never-ending treadmill of beekeeper interventions and pesticides for the sake of saving all bees, even the unfit ones.


But I have seen what happens when we take another path, one that fosters resiliency and strong genetics. I have watched bees rise on their own from near-collapse, perfectly adapted to their environment, stronger and healthier than ever.
Interventions and treatments seem cheaper because they help keep most bees alive, including unfit ones, but they also trap us in endless costs and dependency that add up to a much higher bill over time.
It is like paying high interest forever instead of paying a lump sum upfront (the initial crash) by trusting Nature to build lasting resilience.
Interventions and treatments weaken bees over time and block their natural path to resistance.

Yet Australia is uniquely blessed with unusually high concentrations of feral colonies, rich and diverse forage, and a forgiving climate. These are the seeds of resilience and rapid recovery.
So here is my prediction: after the initial crash, untreated bees will rebound faster and stronger than anywhere else, faster even than Cuba, Africa, France, or parts of the US.
I predict that within three years of an incursion in a new area of Australia, survivor swarms will start emerging, carrying the genetics that will define Australia’s beekeeping future.
I have heard that anecdotal evidence proving this prediction is already appearing in the first incursion zones. These bees will become the foundation of strong, naturally resilient apiaries.

Commercial beekeepers pollinating crops may not have a choice but to treat for now. But backyard and sideline beekeepers do. They can lead the charge: catch survivor swarms, propagate their genetics, and organize local networks to share survivor stock and knowledge. This grassroots effort will seed resilience across Australia’s entire bee population, even benefiting treated commercial operations as survivor genetics spread naturally across all landscapes.

My talks were meant to inspire hope in all Australian beekeepers, especially those who wish to avoid pesticides and trust Natural Selection.
I spent three weeks on a speaking tour up and down the East Coast, reaching over 500 beekeepers, traveling from Narara to Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, and Mullumbimby for the Natural Beekeeping Summit. My message was one of hope: this is not the end of Australian beekeeping. It is a rebirth and an opportunity. The mites will provide selective pressure, eliminating unfit genetics and identifying the strong ones. They will be the forge through which stronger bees are made. Natural comb and Top-Bar Hives will also help keeping bees stronger and healthier. Beekeepers can (and probably should) spend the next two or three years learning bee biology and preparing their hives and yards for the arrival of stronger bees. They can and should organize to identify and propagate survivor genetics that are naturally resistant. Those with a business mindset will recognize this as a niche market opportunity: strong, treatment-free bees will become highly sought after. By investing upfront and accepting early losses, they can later thrive financially, recouping their initial lump sum sacrifice many times over as they sell resilient, in-demand genetics.

Ultimately, my goal was to remind Australian beekeepers that if we trust Nature, understand bee biology, apply Natural Selection, and accept the loss of the weak, Australian bees can become a global model of success in resiliency.
A reminder that, together, we will rise, and so will the bees: stronger, fitter, and ready for whatever comes next.