Peter Borst wrote:
>  But despite the
> fact that vicious bees can be successfully managed, most people agree
> that these are not desirable bees. In the tropical Americas, it is a
> matter of adapt or get out. Most beekeepers in the USA and Canada
> still hold to the idea that we will fight the influx of African
> traits.

Liability is also an issue. Generally bees are not a nuisance and
beekeepers can successfully thwart lawsuits under those laws (because of
prior case law), unless the beekeeper is part of the problem and try to
manage vicious bees or contributes to their behavior (i.e. by poor
handling).

If the bees could be identified as AHB, even in part, then I would
suspect the beekeeper will lose in court if it were a jury trial, just
because of the reputation of AHB and that they would be considered a
nuisance by the jury.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Me