Hello Brian & All,
I was made aware of the situation in Italy awhile back. The first report 
came from a lady beekeeper. She alerted the agriculture people to take 
samples. She has supplied varroa tolerant Italian queens to brown's bees 
(Australia) and then into the U.S. to me. I have got a shipment of her 
queens (crossed with Australian stock) in California right now waiting to be 
shipped to me on Monday. Too risky to Fed X over the weekend. I am most 
interested in the drones from those queens. I only say the above so those 
reading will realize I am very close to the problem in Italy.

The reports I am getting indicate  imidacloprid was found in the mid gut of 
her dead bees. I hope to get a copy in English of the lab results in the 
future.  Not sure of the levels but it seems to indicate a LD 50 level. *If* 
so this would be a first to my knowledge.  I indicated awhile back I was 
getting reports of a bee kill in which high amounts of neonicotinoids were 
found in the mid gut samples.

If you monitor world beekeeping (as I do) you quickly realize the U.S. media 
seems to mostly focus only on U.S. beekeeping problems.

Did the list know that :
" it is estimated some 200,000 hives disappeared in Italy in 2007"

"according to the UNAAPI, the latest disaster to hit the bees (which fell 
almost by half) coincided with the planting of maze crops. it said that 
30-40% of hives had been affected"

In my opinion many different issues are killing bees. Actually the 
conclusion of the U.S. CCD team.
I believe the neonicotinoids are taking their share. N. Ceranae is taking 
its share.

PPB will always take its share!

I also tend to go along with Eric Mussen and think perhaps a new yet not 
figured out pathogen  might be killing its share.

It seems we might get the funding needed to research and hopefully solve 
much of the U.S. die off mystery.

Changes are happening so fast now in beekeeping knowledge that most books 
are out dated even when first published. Save your 92 editions of "Hive and 
the Honey Bee" (1146 pages of small print) as the new edition will have to 
eliminate some old material to make room for the last 15-20 years of new 
material before the books update. My guess is the new edition might get up 
to 1400 pages if all the new information is included. The 92 edition is the 
book most commercial beekeepers rely on. Joe Graham struggled with all the 
information back then I am sure. The "75" edition contained 740 larger print 
pages. The information contained in the 92 edition was much greater than any 
before edition.

I have read all the editions in my library and the 92 edition twice. I love 
to read but the internet now is a better resource in many ways than bee 
books. Also makes the world a much smaller place! I have make beekeeper 
contacts in all countries from my participation on BEE-L and other lists.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison



> this time in Italy
>
> http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2008-04-08_108198775.html
>
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