Moving bees and apiary commodities
The steps to move bees, colonies, and bee commodities into South Australia help protect the industry from pests and diseases, like varroa mite.
Sometimes we restrict movement for bees and bee equipment, including:
- bees, queens, queen escorts, and queen cells
- bee colonies, hives, nucleus hives, packages, and swarms
- hive components like frames or boxes of honey, stickies, and culls
- apiary products like containers of honey, wax, and pollen
- apiary appliances, including any articles, apparatus or implement used for beekeeping, or containers that held apiary products
- beekeeping plant equipment, like vehicles and associated apiary appliances carried in a vehicle, like hive inspection equipment.
Moving bees and bee commodities into South Australia
Beekeepers looking to move bee and bee commodities into South Australia (including SA-registered beekeepers re-entering the state) must have permission from the Chief Inspector of Stock and comply with the entry conditions.
South Australia will accept permit applications for bee colonies, queens, and other apiary products and commodities from all Australian states, though there may be temporary restrictions for pest management.
We assess all applications individually.
Movement of queen bees
In response to industry feedback and SAVIAC advice, entry conditions for queen bees, escorts and queen cells are:
- Within 21 days of collection of queen bees, the queen breeder must provide to PIRSA a declaration of negative varroa testing from 100% of source hives by using alcohol wash and the drone uncapping method.
- You must provide to PIRSA an apiary health certificate signed by an authorised inspector from the source jurisdiction.
- You must use new queen cages.
- You must use post-treatments, including new packaging and shipping via Australia Post or other methods approved by the Chief Inspector of Stock.
- After entry into SA, all escort bees must be alcohol washed (destroyed during the process) and checked for the presence of mites, with all notifiable occurrences reported to the Chief Inspector of Stock.
- You must comply with pre-treatment requirements as outlined in Gazette Notice 92 (22 December 2023) and any other conditions listed on the permit.
Kangaroo Island restrictions
Kangaroo Island is a declared reservation for the European honey bee subspecies Apis mellifera ligustica, commonly known as the Ligurian or Italian honey bee.
To protect this unique species and its disease-free status, you can't move bee or bee commodities to Kangaroo Island.
You can take new and used apiary plant and equipment to Kangaroo island after appropriate treatment, provided you have a completed SA bee heath certificate signed by an SA Apiary Inspector.
Apply to move bees and apiary equipment
To apply to move bees and apiary equipment into SA:
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Read and understand:
- the National Varroa Mite Response Plan ( )
- SA detection response and management plan ( ) (section 3 outlines existing regulatory requirements)
- Conditions for entry of livestock, livestock products and other property into South Australia or a specified part of the state (South Australian Government Gazette No. 92, 22 December 2023, p. 4454, PDF)
- SA guideline for bee and bee commodities: entry application ( )
- Complete the online permit application form or Bee commodity application ( ) and include:
- Bee commodity record ( )
- Bee health certificate ( ) signed by an authorised officer in the originating jurisdiction.
If not applying using the online form, email completed PDF forms to PIRSA.beebiosecurity@sa.gov.au.
Penalties for offences against Section 33 of the Livestock Act 1997 can result in fines up to $20,000 or imprisonment for up to one year.
Moving bees and bee commodities to other states
To move bees and bee commodities to or through other states, you must:
- comply with that state's conditions and restrictions
- apply for permits and health certificates where needed.
Check the intended state's website for their conditions and entry application process.