Andy Nachbaur wrote:
Dear Andy:
Just a short note to say hello and to add a brief comment to your
dialogue.
First of all, allow me to indicate that everyone is entitled to his/her
opinion and personal beliefs.  No one can take that away as far as I am
concerned. On the other hand, I am saddened when I read that experienced
beekeepers do not yet realize the magnitude of the threat of bee mites
to apiculture in North America.  Their capacity to harm our honey bees
is real, devastating.  Our food producing enterprises that depend on
honey bees for pollination, be they whatever they are,  are bound to
suffer tremendous loses should we neglect to find effective treatments
for bee mites. Consumers would soon feel the crunch of price escalation
were we to allow bee mites to continue their growth unchecked.  In North
America, we must not make comparisons to other countries in which
agriculture and food producing businesses do not compare to our rate of
production.  Bee mites have existed for a long time in the wild in Asia
and are now being established in the jungles of South America without
impacting on the economies of those countries precisely because of the
type of relationship that bees bear to their economy.  Not in North
America! Please beware of misleading comparisons.  North American bees
are far too important to our economy, and, unfortunately bee races in
North America are highly susceptible to bee mites.
Best regards.
Dr. Rodriguez