The government has decided to try to slow the spread of the varroa bee mite in the South Island rather than eradicate it.
The parasite was found in two beehive sites near Nelson in June and has since been found in more than 40 sites in the Nelson region.
Minister of Agriculture and Biosecurity Jim Anderton says the government will try to manage rather than remove the pest, because of the costs of eradication and the high probability it will re-infest the South Island.
The government will spend $3.2 million over the next four years to try to slow the spread of the organism.
A bee industry representative says beekeepers feel betrayed by the government's decision not to eradicate the mite.
Chair of the Federated Farmers' Bee Industry Group Lin McKenzie says he can't understand the basis of the decision. He doubts the attempt to slow the spread of the parasite in the South Island will work, since it has already spread through the North Island.
The parasite was first detected in the North Island six years ago and since then most feral bee colonies have been wiped out and more than 25,000 hives lost.
