Allen wrote:
Having observed, considered and tried the many alternatives over four 
decades I have concluded that burning is not always the best solution 
from an economic or social point of view, either for the beekeeper, or 
society.

Pete:
I could have written that myself. The only difference I can see between my experience and Allen's is that I initiated and supervised the burning of several hundred hives in NYS over three seasons of inspection. Many of these I thought could have been easily saved with antibiotic treatment. The hives were still very strong and there were only a few cells infected. But the law stated if they failed the lab test for AFB they were to be destroyed. I understood at the time (this may have changed) that Pennsylvania inspectors were given a little more leeway, and could authorize treatment if they felt the case was not serious. Other states have either no laws or no enforcement or both. I will say that if laws are out of sync with reality, they will be ignored.

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html