A senate inquiry into the preparedness of Australia's biosecurity system moved to Newcastle on Wednesday where the varroa mite was first detected in June.
Steve Fuller from the NSW Apiarists Association told the inquiry that he hopes the government has got it right with the eradication program but he doesn't think the mite can be destroyed.
There are currently 100 premises infected with varroa across NSW and an eradication program is continuing.
Asked if he thought the mite could be eradicated, Mr Fuller told the inquiry, "personally ... I'm going to say no ... my problem is the eradication of the feral hives".
"I doubt if we can track all these feral hives," he said on Wednesday.
Mr Fuller said it's still unclear how the varroa mite first arrived in Australia.
He told the inquiry the penalties for beekeepers are significant but needed to be enforced.
He said he wasn't aware of any fines being enforced but conceded it was difficult to impose them.
Mr Fuller said a shortage of accredited personnel to inspect hives meant NSW relied on beekeepers to conduct inspections.
He said in every country where varroa has taken hold, honey bee industries have bounced back, but authorities still need to slow the spread of the mite.
In September the hearing was told beekeepers weren't fully prepared for the arrival of the deadly mite now threatening Australia's bee industry.
As of September, 27,000 hives had been inspected and millions of bees euthanised.
An $18 million support package was announced in July for affected beekeepers.
Authorities have previously said they are confident the mite can be eradicated, with all detections linked back to the original Newcastle incursion.
A standstill of movement of beehives remains in place in NSW, although some registered commercial beekeepers can move hives in low-risk areas.
The senate inquiry, which is also examining Australia's response preparedness to foot and mouth disease after it was detected in Indonesia, continues.
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