# What's wrong with these bees? **URL:** \ **Category:** Pests and Diseases\ **Created:** [March 10, 2026, 11:56pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/whats-wrong-with-these-bees/40210 "2026-03-10T23:56:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thomasalbert](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/thomasalbert/32/17575_2.png) [@thomasalbert](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/thomasalbert)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2026, 11:56pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/whats-wrong-with-these-bees/40210/1 "2026-03-10T23:56:57Z")
What’s wrong with these bees? I am in Northern Rivers district of New South Wales Australia. Varroa mite arrived in the area last year. Both of my hives died out. 3 days ago a swarm appeared (it is autumn here!) and moved into one of my hives. They immediately started dying with what looks like a type of paralysis. Any ideas? Tom ---
**Author:** ![Dawn\_SD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dawn_sd/32/15954_2.png) [@Dawn\_SD](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dawn_SD)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 12:18am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/whats-wrong-with-these-bees/40210/2 "2026-03-12T00:18:15Z")
Anybody using insecticides on flowering plants in the vicinity? 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![thomasalbert](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/thomasalbert/32/17575_2.png) [@thomasalbert](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/thomasalbert)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 12:54am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/whats-wrong-with-these-bees/40210/3 "2026-03-12T00:54:22Z")
Thanks for the reply Dawn\_SD, I don’t know, I live in a very suburban area with patches of council owned bush around. Another photo- they are dying off in mass today. ![IMG_9374](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/a/3/a3b71ee0e0b2fdc1d5cb144445c95d82bdda34c4.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![aussiemike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/aussiemike/32/14581_2.png) [@aussiemike](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/aussiemike)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 1:44am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/whats-wrong-with-these-bees/40210/4 "2026-03-12T01:44:55Z")
Tom, It’s likely from a high mite load colony. I’ve seen many such cases down here in the Hawkesbury. It can continue even with treatment until the mite parasitised bees die off. Although we don’t have DWV yet, heavy mite loads really hit the girls hard. Mike ---
**Author:** ![thomasalbert](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/thomasalbert/32/17575_2.png) [@thomasalbert](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/thomasalbert)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 2:46am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/whats-wrong-with-these-bees/40210/5 "2026-03-12T02:46:16Z")
Hi Mike, thanks for the info. Do you mean deformed wing virus locally or not in Australia yet? ---
**Author:** ![aussiemike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/aussiemike/32/14581_2.png) [@aussiemike](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/aussiemike)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 8:50pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/whats-wrong-with-these-bees/40210/6 "2026-03-12T20:50:50Z")
So far, we don’t have DWV vectored by mites in Australia. DWV exists in all flying insects including ants. Its extremely unlikely to jump species through normal means, so the most likely way we’ll get it in Australia is through imported bees, semen, queens or mites. If one mite feeds on an infected bee, then feeds on another bee, the beginning of the exponential spread is triggered. The longer that trigger is not squeezed, the better. We have enough of a challenge with the combination of varroa and SHB. Mike ---
**Author:** ![Doug1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/doug1/32/12603_2.png) [@Doug1](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Doug1)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2026, 1:39pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/whats-wrong-with-these-bees/40210/7 "2026-03-19T13:39:43Z")
Classic photo of a hive being robbed out…note the “robbing splatter” (speckles of propolis, wax, honey) directly above the the entrance/dead bees.