> >>> ...A Missouri beekeeper (not me) shipped two semi loads dug from
> snow banks to California two winters ago... The hives were 80% dead when
> arrived in California and the rest were not strong enough to polinate.

I looked at some hives in a  big holding yard last spring.They had been
brought in from a Northern state for the almonds.Most had softball size
clusters ,and were a total loss for the poor guy that trucked them down.The
broker told me he had some tested and tracheal mites were the culprit.They
had extremely high levels,but I dont remember the actual numbers.And I dont
know if they crashed after they got here or not,but I would assume they
did.Cant imagine just loading them out without checking the strength
first.Anyway,Tmites must still be considered and dealt with.
---Mike