You wrote:
> I met our Inspector, Beulah Cullen, on Wednesday at a meeting of my
> local beekeeping association.
 
As an indicator of the scale of things, Beulah covers us too, although I
hope  our  local  BDO  (Mark  White)  is  different  as he comes up from
Gillingam in Dorset (one hell of a slog -- it takes him  about  2  hours
just to get here).
 
I think there is a more proactive attitude.  There needs to be when  you
consider how widely spread the inspectors are.
 
I personally think that the new initiative shows promise because it aims
to better educate beekeepers about their responsibilities to themselves.
Of course some of us have always taken that to heart ;-).  My  worry  is
that  the 'keepeers of bees' will take no notice and will just let their
bees suffer whatever comes to them, with the consequential risk to  *my*
bees.   The  usual apathy reigns -- In Basingstoke our publicity leaflet
even offers to take non-members through disease and  varroa  inspections
and/or  treatments, with no strings, but with no takers (yet -- ever the
optimist).
 
Still, Beulah and her peers should be giving talks  in  the  forthcoming
winters.   Perhaps  the  message  will eventually get through; if varroa
doesn't first.
 
Best regards,
--
Gordon Scott    [log in to unmask]         100332,3310 on CompuServe
Newsletter      [log in to unmask]      ditto
                Beekeeper, Kendo Sandan, sometime sailor.
                Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG22 5HP, UK