For love or honey — Keeping bees in the age of varroa

For love or honey — Keeping bees in the age of varroa

From Every Bite by ABC Australia

May 15, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges of recreational beekeeping in Australia amidst the varroa mite crisis.

Recreational beekeeping has experienced an incredible surge in recent years. However, this surge has coincided with the spread of varroa mites — a now-endemic parasite devastating Australian honeybee colonies. Whether beekeeping to harvest honey or to pollinate crops — for love or for profit — how can we mitigate the destructive impact of varroa mites going forward? Guests: Cedar Anderson, co-founder of Flow Hive , co-author of Flow Hive's Book of Bees and Beekeeping Krista Mogensen, founding member of the Melbourne Beekeepers Club and expert on managing varroa mites Cormac Farrell, head beekeeper at the Australian Parliament House, author of Urban Beekeeping: The City as a Hive Emma Bickley, Saturday Breakfast presenter for ABC Radio Canberra and foodie Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at everybite@abc.net.au This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

People in this episode

Guests: Cedar Anderson, Krista Mogensen, Cormac Farrell, Emma Bickley

Topics covered

  • beekeeping
  • varroa mites
  • honey production
  • pollination
  • sustainability

Keywords

  • beekeeping
  • varroa mites
  • honey
  • pollination
  • sustainability
  • Flow Hive
  • Melbourne Beekeepers Club

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Flow Hive, Melbourne Beekeepers Club, Australian Parliament House

Places: Australia, Wurundjeri, Kulin Nation

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