There are five reliable ways to test a beehive for varroa mites in Australia: the alcohol wash, the sugar shake, the CO2 method, the sticky board (a 24 to 72 hour natural mite drop), and drone brood uncapping. The alcohol wash and CO2 kits give the most accurate mite counts. The sugar shake and CO2 methods let your bees live. The sticky board and drone inspection work best as fast, low-effort companions to a proper count. Whichever you choose, the rule is the same: take a standard sample of about 300 bees (roughly half a cup), test at least once a month through the active season, and act on the number you find. With varroa now established across eastern Australia and some chemical treatments beginning to fail, knowing your true mite load is the single most useful thing you can do for your colonies.
In this article
- Why varroa testing matters more than ever in 2026
- The 5 testing methods compared
- How to do an alcohol wash
- How to do a sugar shake
- The CO2 method
- Using a sticky board
- Checking drone brood
- How often to test and when to treat
- FAQ
Why does testing for varroa matter more than ever in 2026?
Varroa destructor is no longer a question of 'if' for most Australian beekeepers east of the Nullarbor. It is established across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT, and the national transition-to-management program wound up in February 2026, which means day-to-day management now sits with you, the beekeeper.
Here is the part that changes everything: in 2026, mites resistant to both major synthetic chemical groups (the pyrethroids such as Bayvarol and Apistan, and the formamidines such as Apivar and Apitraz) have been confirmed in several states, including here in Victoria. When a treatment can no longer be assumed to work, guessing is dangerous. The only way to know whether your mite numbers are safe, whether a treatment actually worked, and when to rotate to a different mode of action is to test, count, and record. Monitoring is the backbone of integrated pest management, and it is what keeps your bees alive.
The 5 varroa testing methods compared
Each method answers a slightly different question. Washes and the CO2 kit give you a number you can compare against a threshold. The sticky board and drone uncapping are quicker checks that tell you mites are present and roughly how active they are. Most experienced beekeepers use a wash or CO2 test for their real count and lean on the others in between.
| Method | Bees survive? | Accuracy | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcohol wash | No | Highest | ~5 min | Your most accurate count |
| Sugar shake | Yes | Good | ~5 min | A count without losing bees |
| CO2 | Yes | High | ~2 min | Fast, repeatable, no mess |
| Sticky board | Yes | Rough guide | 24 to 72 hrs | Passive, no bee handling |
| Drone uncapping | No (drone brood) | Presence only | ~5 min | Spotting mites early |
How do I do an alcohol or soapy water wash for varroa?
The alcohol wash is widely considered best practice in Australia because it is the most sensitive count. Three washes of the same sample can dislodge well over 90 percent of the mites clinging to your bees, compared with around 70 percent from a single wash. The trade-off is that the sampled bees do not survive, but you only need about 300 of them out of tens of thousands. If you would rather not use alcohol, a soapy water wash works in exactly the same way and is a cheap alternative.
What you can use
Alcohol or methylated spirits: rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) or methylated spirits, around 100 to 150 ml, enough to cover the bees.
Soapy water: water with a small amount of dish soap, about half a teaspoon of detergent in 150 ml of water. The detergent breaks the surface tension so the mites lose their grip and sink. It is best to use a low-suds dishwashing liquid, as too many bubbles make the mites harder to see and count.
Either liquid does the same job: it loosens the mites so they drop off the bees and collect at the bottom of the jar, where you can count them.
How to do the test
- Add the liquid. Pour 100 to 150 ml of alcohol, methylated spirits or soapy water into the test kit, enough to cover the basket in the base.
- Pick a brood frame and find the queen first. Choose a frame with capped brood and make absolutely sure the queen is not on it. Nurse bees near the brood carry the most mites, so they make the best sample.
- Collect about 300 bees (half a cup). Shake the frame onto a sheet or into a tub. The field bees fly off and the nurse bees stay behind, then scoop about half a cup into the kit.
- Put the lid on and shake for 30 to 60 seconds. Swirl firmly so the mites let go of the bees.
- Strain and count. The mites fall through into the lower chamber, where you can count them. For the most accurate result, repeat the wash on the same sample twice more.
- Work out your percentage. Divide the total mite count by three to get mites per 100 bees.
Note: test liquids are not included with the kit.
One simple jar kit that works for both the alcohol wash and the sugar shake. The easiest way to start counting mites.
Prefer to see it done before you try it yourself? This short demonstration from Agriculture Victoria walks through the whole process.
Video: Agriculture Victoria Apiary team.
How do I do a sugar shake instead?
The sugar shake answers the obvious objection to the alcohol wash: it spares the bees. You coat the same 300-bee sample in pure icing sugar, which makes the mites lose their grip and tumble off when you shake them out. It is slightly less sensitive than an alcohol wash, but for hobbyists who would rather not sacrifice bees at every check, it is an excellent routine option, and the same Varroa Mite Test Kit does the job.
- Collect 300 bees the same way as the alcohol wash, queen safely excluded.
- Add a heaped tablespoon of pure icing sugar (not icing mixture, which contains cornflour). Roll the bees gently so they are well dusted, then let them sit for a minute or two.
- Shake the sugar through the mesh into a tub of water. The sugar dissolves and any mites float to the surface where you can count them.
- Tip the bees back at the hive entrance and divide your mite count by three for a per-100-bees figure.
The same jar kit handles both tests: use it for a gentle sugar shake to keep your bees, or an alcohol or soapy water wash for the most accurate count.
What is the CO2 method, and is it better?
The CO2 method is the fastest way to get a real count while keeping every bee. A short burst of CO2 briefly knocks out the bees and the mites; you shake the sample so the mites drop into a clear container to be counted, then the bees wake up and go back into the hive, usually within 20 to 30 seconds. There is no mess, no alcohol to dispose of, and the kit is reusable, so the only ongoing cost is the CO2 itself. For beekeepers testing often, or running through several hives in a session, it is hard to beat.
- Scoop about 300 bees into the sampling container.
- Apply a short burst of CO2 to immobilise the sample.
- Shake to dislodge the mites, then count them in the clear chamber.
- Return the bees to the hive once they come around.
A fast, accurate mite count with no alcohol and no losses. Includes the CO2 application tool, metal nozzle and sampling container (CO2 canisters not included).
How do I use a sticky board for a 24-hour mite drop?
A sticky board is the lowest-effort check of the lot, because you do not handle a single bee. It sits in the tray of a mesh (screened) bottom board and catches the mites that naturally fall off the cluster. It will not give you a precise infestation rate the way a wash does, but a rising daily mite drop is an early warning that numbers are climbing and a proper count is overdue.
- Slide the mat into the drawer under your mesh bottom board and peel back the cover to expose the sticky side.
- Leave it 24 to 72 hours.
- Count the dropped mites against the printed grid and note the number per day so you can track the trend over time.
You will need a mesh bottom board with a drawer to use one. If you are still running a solid floor, our mesh vented base with drawer trap is built exactly for this and improves hive ventilation as a bonus.
Disposable sticky sheets with a printed counting grid. Sit one under your mesh bottom board and read the daily mite drop at a glance.
How do I check drone brood for varroa?
Here is a fact worth remembering: most of the mites in a colony are not on the adult bees at all. At the height of the season, up to about 85 percent of varroa can be tucked away inside capped brood, and they strongly prefer drone cells because drones take longer to develop. That is the weakness a wash cannot see, and the reason drone brood is such a useful early-warning window.
To check, push a capping fork or scratcher through a patch of capped drone brood and lift out a clump of pupae, then look for the reddish-brown mites against the pale bodies. Uncapping tells you whether mites are present, but not your overall mite load, so use it alongside a wash or CO2 test rather than instead of one.
To make this easy, slot a drone foundation frame into the edge of the brood box. The larger 6.2 mm cells encourage the queen to lay drones in one predictable spot, giving you a dedicated monitoring frame. The same frame doubles as a chemical-free control: once it is capped, you can remove and freeze it to cull the mites breeding inside, then return it for the bees to clean out and start again.
Ready-to-use full depth frame with pink 6.2 mm drone foundation. Concentrates drone brood so you can check (and trap) mites in one spot.
How often should I test, and when do I treat?
Now that varroa is established, the general advice is to test at least once a month through the active season, easing off only during a chemical treatment or in the depths of a cold winter when the cluster is tight. In Victoria, beekeepers are also expected to test at least one hive per apiary at least twice a year, including a drone uncapping plus a sugar shake or alcohol wash, and to record inspections in their BeeMAX diary. Rules can change, so confirm the current requirements with Agriculture Victoria or your own state department.
As a starting point, many beekeepers act at around 2 to 3 mites per 100 bees, which is roughly 6 to 9 mites in a 300-bee sample. Australian-specific thresholds are still being refined as we learn how the mite behaves under local conditions, so treat that as a guide rather than a hard rule and follow the latest advice from your state authority. The key habit is consistency: test the same way each time, write down the number, and let the trend tell you when to act. And remember, varroa is a notifiable pest, so your first detection must be reported to your state department.
Frequently asked questions
Can I test for varroa without killing my bees?
Yes. The sugar shake, the CO2 method and the sticky board all leave your bees alive. The CO2 kit gives the most accurate count of the three, the sugar shake is the cheapest, and the sticky board needs no bee handling at all. The alcohol wash is the most sensitive test overall but costs you the 300-bee sample.
How many bees do I need for a varroa test?
About 300 bees, which is roughly half a cup. Using the same sample size every time is what lets you compare results month to month, so it is worth being consistent. Take them from a brood frame (after checking the queen is not on it), because nurse bees there carry the most mites.
Is the alcohol wash or sugar shake more accurate?
The alcohol wash. Three washes recover well over 90 percent of the phoretic mites on your sample, while a sugar shake recovers a little less. Both are valid; choose the wash when you want the most reliable number and the sugar shake when you would rather keep the bees.
Why check drone brood if I already do a wash?
Because a wash only sees the mites riding on adult bees, and most of the colony's mites are hidden inside capped brood, especially drone cells. Uncapping a patch of drone brood is a quick way to catch an infestation the wash might underplay early in the season.
Do I have to report varroa if I find it?
Yes. At the time of writing this article, varroa is a notifiable pest across Australia, so your first detection must be reported to your state authority. Requirements can change over time, so it is worth checking the current rules with your state department. After that, ongoing management is your responsibility, which is exactly why routine testing matters so much.
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Shop varroa testing kits →This article is general information for Australian beekeepers and is not a substitute for current advice from your state department of agriculture. Always follow product labels and APVMA permit conditions when treating for varroa.