> I have experience with AHB and have spoke with quite a few researchers on the subject. Even wrote an article. To some on the list aggresive is the main method of determinig AHB.

What method do you suggest? 

> *It is my opinion* AHB researchers were incorrect in their predictions Of what the future (now!) Would look like 25 years after first detected

No one can predict the future. Some are better at anticipating than others. I don't see that you have contributed anything to this discussion, other than to criticize others and brag on your better knowledge, which you don't share. On the other hand, the following article from the ABJ in 1990 provides us with some realistic predictions, which have been borne out by experience:

QUOTED MATERIAL:

One solution to this problem is the industry acceptance of low levels of Africanization. Queen producers may be able to control 90% or more of the matings of their production queens through drone saturation procedures (Hellmich et al. 1988). There is evidence that colonies with 90% European and 10% hybrid (A x E) workers are manageable and virtually indistinguishable in behavior from European colonies. Defensive behavior of a colony was not dominated by hybrids when they comprised about 10% of the population (Collins 1987). These data suggest that beekeepers should be able to tolerate colonies headed by queens that are "mismated" with 10% or less Africanized drones.

Two U.S. queen producers likely to first encounter the Africanized bee are Howard Weaver & Sons (HWS) and Weaver Apiaries (WA) both from Navasota, Texas. About two years ago Morris Weaver (HWS) and Binford Weaver (W A) expressed an interest in collaborating with the ARS honey bee labs from Baton Rouge and Tucson. This paper reports the first results from this collaboration.

The question is, are low levels of Africanization acceptable? We think so, and with careful selection such stock could be used to benefit beekeepers. Africanized honey bees have many traits that are different from European honey bees, perhaps some could be used to improve stock.

RICHARD L. HELLMICH and GORDON D. WALLER (1990) Preparing for Africanized Honey Bees: Evaluating Control in Mating Apiaries

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