Biosecurity Spotters logo

European honey bee (Apis mellifera)

Introduced to Australia more than 180 years ago, the European honey bee is now widespread, with both managed hives and feral colonies. Feral colonies can occupy tree hollows needed by native wildlife, including black cockatoos, and can sting and kill animals that enter or nest in them.

Key facts

Type: Pest animal, invertebrate.

Native to: Africa, Europe and western Asia.

Established in: QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, SA, WA, NT.

Other names: Western honey bee, honey bee, feral honey bee, European bee.

Best time to act: Survey in warm daylight when flight activity makes nest entrances easier to locate, and arrange professional treatment when most foragers have returned, commonly toward evening.

Identification

  • Worker bees are usually about 10 to 15 mm long, with a hairy thorax and a golden-brown abdomen marked with darker bands.
  • Workers have six legs and two pairs of clear wings, and carry pollen in pollen baskets on their hind legs.
  • Look for repeated flights to and from a cavity, such as a tree hollow, or a dense cluster of bees around a nest entrance.
  • Established colonies build wax comb inside a hollow or other sheltered cavity; a swarm may temporarily hang as a compact cluster of bees.
  • Look-alike: Native bees vary widely in size and appearance, and some can resemble honey bees.
  • Look-alike: Wasps may also be mistaken for bees, but are generally less hairy and have a more distinctly narrow waist.

Where it lives

Feral colonies occur across much of Australia in tree hollows and other suitable cavities in forests, heaths, farming and grazing land, and urban areas, with bees foraging on flowering plants and seeking water, especially in hot weather.

Why it matters

  • Feral colonies compete with hollow-nesting native animals, including black cockatoos, other birds, possums and bats, for nesting hollows.
  • Bees may sting or engulf wildlife in occupied hollows; black cockatoo chicks, honeyeaters and owls have been found dead in such hollows.
  • Honey bees may compete with native fauna for nectar, and their use of flowering crops such as lupins and canola can support more feral colonies.
  • Feral colonies can pose a disease and pest risk to managed hives.

How it spreads

  • Colonies can become feral when managed bees swarm and establish nests in tree hollows or other sheltered cavities.
  • Swarming and colony numbers can increase where flowering plants provide abundant nectar and pollen.
  • Bees forage across surrounding landscapes and seek water, particularly during summer.

Control methods

  • Do not disturb, block or attempt to remove an active colony without expert advice; bees can be aggressive and removal can put people and wildlife at risk.
  • Arrange collection of a temporary swarm by an experienced beekeeper, or have an established colony assessed and removed by a suitably qualified professional using locally approved methods.
  • Where a pesticide is necessary, use only a product registered for the intended use and follow its label and applicable state or territory requirements; avoid damaging or sealing a hollow before confirming the colony is gone and checking for wildlife.
  • Record the location and report significant colonies, or concerns about bee pests or disease, to the land manager or relevant state or territory biosecurity agency.

Site hygiene and welfare

  • Before moving between sites, inspect and clean hive-handling equipment and containers, and secure any bees, comb or hive material so live colonies and bee pests are not transported.
  • Avoid sharing used hive equipment or comb between apiaries unless it has been appropriately cleaned and checked.
  • Use methods set out in the national model codes of practice and standard operating procedures for the species.
  • Coordinate control with neighbours and the local government biosecurity plan, as isolated effort is quickly undone by reinvasion.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Registration required. Anyone keeping honey bees in NSW must register as a beekeeper with NSW DPIRD. The Africanised and Cape honey bee subspecies are prohibited, so report any unusually aggressive swarm.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Not declared. Not declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. Other laws may still apply.
  • Western Australia: Permitted, registration required. Honey bees can be kept in WA, but beekeepers must register their hives with DPIRD. The Africanised and Cape honey bee subspecies are prohibited, so report any unusually aggressive swarm.
  • Tasmania: Not a declared pest. Not a declared pest or prohibited matter in Tasmania. Importing animals is still controlled by Biosecurity Tasmania.
  • Northern Territory: Not a declared pest. Not on an NT declared or prohibited list. Check with the NT Government before keeping, moving or releasing it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not a declared pest in the ACT. The Africanised and Cape honey bee subspecies are prohibited, so report any unusually aggressive swarm.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Australian Capital Territory: Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT), administered by ACT Biosecurity
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Northern Territory: Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976 (NT), administered by NT Department of Lands, Planning and Environment

Sources