Hamish Ta-mé from Bowral Beekeeping, could not get to his hives on March 7, where six were "physically washed away and knocked over", and he has been busy managing the situation ever since.

He was lucky that his friend and fellow beekeeper Darryn McKay was able to access the apiary and rescue the hives, but not all of the bees survived.

"It's a horrible, heartbreaking thing - there's a pile of bees we're fishing out of hives from the creek, it is the saddest thing," he said.

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His apiary along Mittagong Road, in Bowral, has been inundated with water, where debris has also washed in.

The beekeeper discovered items such as a trampoline, dog kennel and even gardening furniture among the water.

Mr Ta-mé, who runs workshops and classes, and helps people set up their own hives at home, has also been in damage control with his clients.

He said one client lost five colonies of bees and another lost one, with an estimation of 70,000 insects per colony.

"I'm racing around madly doing emergency feeding and talking to beekeepers and giving them emergency food for a few weeks," he said.

"It's not just the floods, it's also the sustained cold weather and rain.

"The flowers have nectar washed out, so there isn't any food for the bees."

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He said one of his clients had bees that were "starved to death surrounded by flowers".

Mr Ta-mé estimated that between 15 and 20 per cent of the district's bees have been lost in the last three weeks.

Less bees meant there would be a reduction in pollinators, which would impact the food and agricultural industry.

He said the water damage could also create biosecurity risks, and encourage pests and diseases.

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"Time is of the essence, people need to respond within days," he said.

The beekeeper encouraged people with hives at home to monitor them, put feeders tray on top and make sure sugar syrup was at the ready.

He said if a hive feels "physically light", it was likely there was no honey inside and sugar syrup would be needed.

Anyone who has bees at home can contact Hamish on 0428 294 569 or by emailing hamish@bowralbeekeeping.com.

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