Bee-keepers say this will create more demand for public land, including state forests, to feed bees throughout the year.

This spring bee broker Trevor Monson has organised 97,000 beehives for the Sunraysia district in Victoria's north. On average about six hives cover a hectare of trees.

In California, where most of the world's almonds are grown, the stocking rate is about five hives per hectare. More hives ensures better pollination, but producers work within a budget. Mr Monson said bee-keepers received $110 per hive.

"If the pollination fee was higher, and bee-keepers didn't have to chase honey for income, they could probably put a lot more hives on existing sites," Mr Monson said. "If you become a pollinator, all you are interested in is keeping bees alive all year and maintaining them, and not chasing honey."

Last year the Forestry Corporation auctioned 24 site permits on the south coast, stunning the bee-keeping community, when the average price went for $1300 for a year's access. One site fetched $3500. This compares to $90 a year for a permit paid previously.

President of the NSW Apiarists' Association, Neil Bingley, says bee-keepers rely on the forests for their honey production and health of their bees. They will go broke without renewable, affordable permits to use the forests.

Mr Bingley said a lot of bee-keepers had increased their bees exponentially to keep pace with demand for pollinating almonds. But almonds flowered for only three to four weeks, and bees needed other places for pollen and nectar for the remainder of the year.

"We have a finite resource for a certain number of hives. To keep putting hives in forests is like trying to put another 100,000 sheep in an area with no grassland," he said.

"We need a resource. I might only work one species of eucalypts once every 10 years, it depends on the flower cycle. You get flood, fire or drought, they abort their buds, or wildfire goes through a site and it is no good for five or six years," Mr Bingley said.

He said most bee-keepers knew one another's sites on public and private land and left them alone, whereas newcomers would not show that sort of respect.

Mr Bingley says the apiarists association is hoping for a solution from NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair.

The association says it has a simple solution: a single desk within the Department of Primary Industries that manages access to apiary sites on all NSW public lands.

"A similar system operates in Western Australia and works very well," Mr Bingley said.