Pest control gear

This guide lists gear for the two pests most beekeepers meet: varroa mite and small hive beetle. Picks are chosen by the method on How we review. Prices change often, so check each listing before you buy.

This page covers what to buy, not how to use it. For testing and treatment steps, and what to report, see Varroa mite and Small hive beetle. Rules on treating and reporting differ by state: see State-by-state rules.

Varroa testing kits

Official advice is to test for varroa rather than rely on looking at the bees, because mites are hard to spot on adult bees. The national program calls the alcohol wash best practice for monitoring in Australia, and the sugar shake is the other common method. Both use a sample of about 300 bees (half a cup) in a jar with a mesh lid.

What to look for in a kit:

• A shaker jar with both a mesh lid and a solid lid.
• A measuring cup that holds a 300-bee sample, so every test uses the same amount.
• It works for both alcohol wash and sugar shake.

You also need alcohol (methylated spirits or similar, over 70%) or icing sugar, plus a white tray to catch the mites. A kit with a drone uncapping fork adds a way to check drone brood.

Registered varroa treatments

Use only products the APVMA has registered or allowed under a permit. Test first, then treat only if the count says you need to. The table is as checked on the APVMA register on 31 October 2026. Check the register again before buying, because permits expire and change.

Product	Active ingredient	APVMA status
Bayvarol	Flumethrin (synthetic pyrethroid)	Registered; also permit PER95037
Aluen CAP strips	Oxalic acid	Permit PER95790

Other registered or permitted varroa products exist, including amitraz strips, formic acid and thymol. They are listed on Varroa mite. For those, speak to a local beekeeping supplier or your local club. Mites resistant to both pyrethroids and amitraz have been confirmed in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia, so check that a strip treatment is working, and rotate types rather than using the same type every time.

Read the label or permit before you buy. It sets out where the product goes in the hive, how long it stays in, the temperatures it can be used in, and whether honey supers can stay on. Use the dose on the label. A permit can limit who may use a product or in which states.

Buy treatments only from Australian sellers. Do not buy unregistered “fluvalinate strips”, or look-alike strips from overseas sellers. A product that is not registered or permitted in Australia is not an approved treatment for your hives. If a listing does not show the product’s APVMA registration or permit details, ask the seller or leave it.

Small hive beetle traps

No single method clears the beetle. BeeAware and Business Queensland describe a mix of traps, strong colonies, prompt extraction and clean handling of honey and comb. Traps help you monitor and catch beetles, but they do not replace those habits. The beetle is not found in every state, so check Small hive beetle for whether it is a problem where you live.

Registered trap. Apithor is an in-hive harbourage trap that beetles hide in. The insecticide sits where bees cannot reach it. It is registered with the APVMA, and both BeeAware and Business Queensland name it. Business Queensland calls it the only registered chemical trap permitted as an inner-hive control measure. Use it as the label directs.

Chemical-free traps. Silver Bullet and Beehive Defender are traps without insecticide. They are chemical-free traps, not APVMA-registered insecticide products. Mechanical traps that let beetles in but keep bees out are among the methods official sources describe.

Before you buy

• Test first, then treat. See Varroa mite.
• Check the APVMA register for the product’s status, and your state’s page for the rules.
• Buy from Australian sellers only.
• Keep a record of every product you use, the hive and the dates.