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Since varroa mite was discovered 19 days ago near the Port of Newcastle, the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) have euthanised at least 1693 hives in various kill zones imposed across parts of the state.

Earlier DPI estimates have suggested each hive is home to 10,000 – 30,000 bees, putting the worst-case fatality rate at nearly 51 million.

Any hives inside red zones must be euthanised, as the industry scrambles to contain and eradicate varroa mite, a reddish-brown, sesame-seed-sized parasite which can kill and weaken farmed bee populations.

Varroa threatens the nation's $70m bee industry, and even this early stage outbreak is set to inflict a major hit on horticulture farms which need bees to pollinate crops.

The NSW government has banned movement of bees and hives across the state, leading to fears Australia's billion-dollar almond industry could be crippled if bees cannot carry out seasonal pollination of trees.

Apiarists who have had bees, hives and equipment destroyed in the crackdown will have access to a federal $18 million compensation package, announced on the weekend.

Costs of honey lost in the systemic killing of hives will also be compensated.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt called varroa mite "the most significant threat to our honey bee and pollination industries", while reinforcing Canberra was "firmly committed" to stopping the tiny parasite's spread.

Yesterday the DPI made the surprise announcement to allow beekeepers, in all zones except the red eradication zone, to work their hives.

There are still tight restrictions, but beekeepers can now extract honey from hives.

Despite an unbroken chain of infected premises and extensive surveillance operations, the number of exclusion zones across the state is steadily growing.

Newly confirmed cases at Jerrys Plains, Denman and Heatherbrae bring the total number of infested premises to 38.

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Emergency zones first set up around Newcastle and Port Stephens have now spread and include rings around Narrabri near the NSW-Queensland border and Jerrys Plains in the Upper Hunter, about 100 kilometres west of Newcastle.

Once varroa gets a foothold, the parasite cannot be scrubbed out.

Before the Newcastle discovery on June 22, Australia was one of the few countries in the world still varroa-free.

If NSW cannot stop the invasion, beehives from Queensland to South Australia will inevitably be infested.

Varroa arrived in New Zealand in 2000 and within a decade had swept across the length and breadth of the country.

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