New varroa mite detections in Newcastle and Singleton have fuelled calls for the state government to abandon its eradication policy.
Earth Market Maitland chairwoman Amorelle Dempster, who has been fighting for pollinators on Maitland farms to save the city's spring vegetable crops, said it was clear the plan to eradicate the deadly parasite had failed.
"They've had over 12 months to get this eradicated and the varroa mite is still in control, it is setting the agenda and humans simply aren't catching up," she said.
"I'm hoping the consultative committee will come to their senses - the genies are out of the bottle and we have to go into a management plan and learn to live with the varroa mite."
The NSW Department of Primary Industries said new detections had also been recorded in Kempsey and extensions to the eradication emergency zones surrounding the infested premises had been put in place.
The mite has also been found within pollination sites in southern NSW.
There have now been 231 infested sites since the varroa mite was first detected at the Port of Newcastle in June 2022. The mite only affects European honey bees, which can travel up to 10 kilometres a day and are more thorough in their pollination duties than native bees.
Maitland farmers want certainty that sentinel hives will be placed on farms by October and monitored for the mite so their spring crops can be pollinated.
"The industry can simply not afford to continue to spend money fighting something that is detrimental to them," Ms Dempster said.
"They have allowed the pollinators to go into the almond farms and those pollinating services have taken the varroa mite with them."
The DPI has previously said it would not consider allowing sentinel hives on the city's vegetable farms without a thorough risk assessment.
Ms Dempster is pinning her hopes on a management plan being put in place by October.
