Kangaroo Island Honey Producer Calls for Stronger Ligurian Bee Protections

KI Ligurian Bee Co. Warns Varroa Mite Risk Persists as National Program Ends

Kingscote, Australia – June 1, 2026 / Island Beehive /

Kangaroo Island Honey Producer Calls for Stronger Ligurian Bee Protections

KINGSCOTE, South Australia, May 28, 2026 — The Kangaroo Island Ligurian Bee Co., a certified-organic family producer based in Kingscote, has called for continued public vigilance over biosecurity as the national varroa mite eradication program formally ended in February 2026 with the parasite now confirmed as endemic across five Australian states and territories, including the South Australian mainland. Kangaroo Island has operated as a protected bee sanctuary since 1885 and remains the world’s only known location of a pure, genetically unmodified Ligurian bee population — a status the company describes as more fragile than it has ever been.

Kangaroo Island Honey

“These bees cannot be replaced if the line is lost,” said Verity Hayman, Managing Director, The Kangaroo Island Ligurian Bee Co. “Varroa mite is now established across the mainland and eradication has been abandoned. The biosecurity measures on every ferry to this island are not a formality — they are the last line of defence for something that exists nowhere else in the world. Visitors need to understand that.”

Varroa mite was first detected on the South Australian mainland in the Riverland in September 2025. The SA Government responded in October 2025 by expanding biosecurity inspections to cover all ferry departures from Cape Jervis and increasing the island’s sentinel hive network from four to ten across Kangaroo Island. The hives are monitored in collaboration between PIRSA’s Apiary Unit, the Kangaroo Island Biosecurity Program, and island beekeepers. By early 2026, pyrethroid-resistant varroa strains had been confirmed in New South Wales and Queensland, signalling a further escalation in the national threat profile.

What Varroa Mite Would Mean for Kangaroo Island’s Bees

Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite that attaches to honey bees, feeds on their fat bodies, reproduces inside brood cells, and transmits debilitating viruses that weaken and ultimately collapse colonies. It is the most destructive bee parasite known globally and is now present in every bee-keeping region of eastern Australia. Kangaroo Island’s Ligurian bee population has remained free of varroa because of the island’s 13-kilometre separation from the mainland and the biosecurity controls that govern every vessel and aircraft entering the island. A breach would be irreversible.

The Kangaroo Island Ligurian Bee Co. manages over 800 hives moved seasonally across the island according to flora and bloom cycles, producing up to 90 tonnes of honey per year. The flavour and character of each harvest is determined by the nectar flows available during that season — a quality that is inseparable from the Ligurian bees themselves and the disease-free environment they inhabit. Processing is minimal: all honey is raw and unfiltered, with no additives, preserving the natural enzyme profile and seasonal aroma.

Single-Flora Varieties Dependent on Bee Population Remaining Pure

Several of the company’s honey varieties are produced only when rare environmental conditions align. Remota Honey carries warm notes of burnt sugar and candied pecan. Boobialla Honey draws from coastal winter flowers with delicate herbal sweetness. Yacca Honey is produced only when bushfire triggers the plant’s tall flower spikes. Karkalla Honey presents a fresh grapefruit-like bitterness suited to cheese and charcuterie pairings. Some of these harvests occur only every few years. Each depends entirely on the continued purity and health of the island’s Ligurian bee population.

Beyond honey, the company produces traditional honey mead and beeswax candles made from certified organic beeswax with a pure cotton wick. Curated gift collections are available through the online store, with free standard delivery on orders over $125 across Australia. The Island Beehive shopfront in Kingscote is open daily from 9am, closed Christmas Day, offering guided tours, honey tastings, and hands-on beekeeping experiences.

The Kangaroo Island Ligurian Bee Co. was founded in 2001 by pioneering organic beekeeper Peter Davis and is now led by Brenton Davis and Verity Hayman. The business holds NASAA organic certification, B-QUAL, HACCP, and Dairy Safe accreditation, and is a double winner at both the 2023 and 2025 SA Premier’s Food and Beverage Industry Awards.

About The Kangaroo Island Ligurian Bee Co.

The Kangaroo Island Ligurian Bee Co. is a certified-organic, family-owned honey producer based in Kingscote, South Australia, established in 2001. The business manages over 800 hives across the island, producing up to 90 tonnes of honey per year from the only remaining pure-strain Ligurian bee colony in the world. It holds NASAA organic certification, B-QUAL, HACCP, and Dairy Safe accreditation, and is a double winner at both the 2023 and 2025 SA Premier’s Food and Beverage Industry Awards. Products are available online with free standard delivery on orders over $125, and in person at the Island Beehive shopfront at 59 Playford Highway, Kingscote.

Media Contact

Verity Hayman Managing Director, The Kangaroo Island Ligurian Bee Co. 08 8553 0080 (No direct email publicly listed — contact form available at website) Contact – The Kangaroo Island Ligurian Bee Co.