David Adams wrote:
> "I can't help but think that if all the money spent on tex-mex bee
> studies had been put toward mite resistant breeding and studies,nosema
> controls and other more serious problems ,how much better off the
> beekeeping worldwide would be."
Not Sure how much has been spent on "tex-mex" studies, but here in our Fla, Jamie Ellis at UF, Jerry Hayes at Apiary, and USDA are working on nosema & varroa control, pesticide fx on brood and pollination nutrition, amongst other relevant research. I'm not aware of any AHB work being done by them, other than monitoring and public education.

> "A good example,I'm told that,here, if I as a beekeeper spray a feral swarm with soapy water,the soap now becomes a pesticide,and I have to have a pest control license to do so ,if I'm paid."
And what's the agenda here? If you're killing a feral swarm for profit, you're now doing pest control, not sticking your head in your hive boxes. One of my big worries is risk. Causing a sting fatality while we are working a mean colony, & how that affects my ability to procure commercial liability insurance. Or creating (or just being accused of) a fish kill while treating a colony in a wildlife box, and the resulting 6 figure EPA fines. Pest Control regs force one to train staff and carry proper insurance against such events.


I don't think sharing our experiences with feral bees is misinformation. I'm trying to get my work done here so I can make our state meeting tommorow and discuss some more. I've seen attitudes changing in the past few years ,as more folks encounter mean bees and am interested to hear more experiences.

Richard Martyniak

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