Varroa Mite Management Hub

Meet Sarah Hickman – Engagement Officer (DPI)

Sarah grew up around beekeeping, with both her grandfather and stepfather keeping bees, instilling in her a lifelong fascination with insects, especially honeybees.

Her commercial beekeeping experience began in New Zealand, where she gained firsthand experience managing varroa and learning the importance of Integrated Pest Management practices in a synthetic chemical free operation.

That experience ultimately led Sarah back to Queensland to join the “mite fight” as a Varroa Development Officer, a role she held for 12 months before transitioning into her current position as Engagement Officer with the Varroa Mite Innovation and Resilience Initiative (VMIRI).

In her role, Sarah supports beekeepers through education, guidance, resources, and industry engagement. She also works with pollination-reliant industries to raise awareness of the current Queensland varroa situation and the possible future challenges varroa may create.

Sarah works closely with Queensland’s Biosecurity Champions network, a dedicated group of volunteer beekeepers who act as an important supportive bridge between government and industry by sharing information, updates, and resources with clubs and communities across the state.

Tonia Johnson - Queensland's Bee Biosecurity Officer

Tonia brings extensive beekeeping experience to her role, including work in large-scale commercial operations in New Zealand. She later relocated to Australia, where she assisted in the New South Wales Varroa Mite response before joining Biosecurity Queensland as a Varroa Development Officer. She now serves as a Bee Biosecurity Officer under Biosecurity Queensland and the National Bee Biosecurity Program (NBBP).

n her role, Tonia supports Queensland honeybee stakeholders through education and training on both established and exotic honeybee pests and diseases. She also helps beekeepers understand and meet their General Biosecurity Obligation (GBO).