Beekeepers in the Riverina are increasingly concerned after the detection of Varroa mite in the Central West

The varroa mite is an external parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on honey bees, and can be devastating to colonies, and with increasing detections across Australia and NSW - apiarists and beekeepers are watching anxiously.

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The most recent detection in Gumble, just west of Molong, is especially concerning considering it came from a 'blue zone' largely considered safe from the pest.

Melody Cameron, a beekeeper in Griffith, said the Varroa mite was already scary, but getting scarier - and urged the Department of Primary Industries to increase monitoring.

"That should not have happened but it's very scary. I'm afraid of it. I'm trying to do my best by starting a breeding program with my feral bees and really hoping that the bees will be strong enough to survive this," she said.

"They only want to do four of my hives, and I've got over 20 so I'm going to push to get them to check out the rest of my hives ... Use my hives as sentinel hives."

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Ms Cameron urged all backyard beekeepers to register their hives with the Department of Primary Industries, and said that would be the key thing to get on top of the mite before it becomes a bigger problem.

"There's a lot of people in Griffith who own bees but don't look after them properly and aren't registered ... A lot of people are afraid that just because they've got one hive in the backyard, they'll have to spend hundreds of dollars but it's just 40-50 dollars for two years to have your hive registered," she said.

"We really need to get this under control. We're the last place on earth that it hasn't taken over."

She was especially concerned with the coming approach of Spring, when the bees will become more active and potentially spread the mite if it hasn't been contained by then.

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