Rury Rudd writes: “I first found varroa in my colonies when the nearest reported incidence was over 50 miles away! If you allowed for natural transmission the rate of spread would be no more than 6 miles per year.” Rury, The exact axiom that you are trying to show here is not exactly clear to me. If it is that moving bees results in moving their pathogens, then yes that is obvious. Could you describe what you mean by “natural transmission rate” and how you arrived at 6 miles per year for that? Certainly we know that even if we stop moving bees, bees will not stop moving. How long did it take for the varroa you found in your colonies to travel the 50 miles? Or did those varroa come from a source much further away by unnatural means? Does anyone have the figures for how fast AHB has expanded its territory since its introduction? Steve Noble ****************************************************** * Full guidelines for BEE-L posting are at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm * ******************************************************