Proposed new import restrictions threaten the live bee trade to New Zealand's main market, Canada.
About 40 tonnes of live bees worth about $4 million are sent to Canada each year.
Honey and bee export company Kintail handles half of those.
Owner James Ward says tougher import regulations proposed by Canadian authorities would mean he could no longer send his bees there.
He says he can't understand why the new rules have stemmed from concerns about the varroa mite, which is already established in Canada.
Mr Ward says the new Canadian regulations want an alcohol wash on New Zealand bees and for varroa levels to be down to 1% - which equates to one varroa mite to 100 bees.
He says Kintail's bee packages have been going in to Canada with well under 1% of varroa attached to them.
Mr Ward says it will be logistically impossible to adhere to the new rules, meaning Kintail will lose around $2 million, or about a quarter of its business.
He says Kintail and Arataki, the other main exporter of live bees, have lodged a joint submission asking for the rules to be revised.
He expects to know within the next two weeks if exports can go ahead.
