Beekeepers weren't fully prepared for the arrival of a deadly mite that is now threatening Australia's bee industry, says the Honey Bee Council.
The council, which represents Australia's commercial beekeepers, is calling for better preparation and documentation for response teams to biosecurity threats.
CEO Danny Le Feuvre will give evidence on Thursday to a senate inquiry assessing Australia's response to the varroa mite outbreak, which was first detected near Newcastle in June.
"We've always been told it's not if but when the mite gets here," Mr Le Feuvre told AAP.
"But we never did any work about what happens in this scenario. It had established here for a while, not been detected early at port, what do we then?"
He said not having documentation such as orders and legal documents ready to go slowed the response process and communication and compensation for beekeepers.
However, Mr Le Feuvre said it had no impact on how widely the mite spread.
"I wouldn't say the response was too slow,'' he said.
"It could have been more efficient if we were better prepared as an industry."
The council is also calling on the Commonwealth to help fund a surveillance system to cover medium- and high-risk entry points.
There are currently 99 premises infected with the varroa mite across NSW, from the north and northwest of the state to south of Newcastle.
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 remain confident that the mite can still 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 of the state.
The senate inquiry, which is also examining Australia's response preparedness to foot and mouth disease that has been detected in Indonesia, is sitting on Thursday night and Friday.
Representatives from Meat and Livestock Australia and the sheep and pork industries will also give evidence.
