Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries entomologists have confirmed that the bees caught in sweep nets were Asian honey bees (Apis cerana).

Biosecurity Queensland teams have been carrying out surveillance in the area since a nest of the pest bee was found on a Green Hill cane farm on July 30, the first detection since the destruction of seven nests in Portsmith and Admiralty Island last year.

They quickly located and destroyed a swarm on a nearby property four days later.

The teams found no further bees until this week.

Queensland Beekeepers' Association president Rodney Ruge said the latest detection was a credit to Biosecurity Queensland’s surveillance program.

"If there are Asian honey bees still out there, we want to find and destroy them," Mr Ruge said.

Biosecurity Queensland regional project officer Ian Rodger said the bees found yesterday were foraging on soft khaki weed near the base of The Pyramid.

"This is the furthest south we have found them to date, so we will step up surveillance over a wider area," Mr Rodger said.

"We will be looking at extending the current restricted area as far as Babinda.

"We are sure there is at least one more nest out there, so we are putting out more syrup stations to lure bees so we can track them to their nests.

"DNA tests will be conducted to help determine if these bees are related to last year’s incursion and to see if they are carrying varroa mites.

"The mites will destroy commercial bee hives if they get a stranglehold in Australia.

"The Java strain of the A cerana detected so far did not carry the varroa mite."

Mr Rodger asked farmers and residents in the area between Gordonvale and Babinda to keep an extra eye out for suspect bee activity on their properties and report them as soon as possible to Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.

"Public support was an important factor in our rapid response four weeks ago," he said.

"Bees generally don’t like the cool weather we have experienced lately however as the weather warms up, they will become more active and we ask that the public be extra vigilant so that we can respond quickly."