> Here in Ontario Canada we have managed to stay in business and even
> prosper since 1989 when the border was closed to American queens and
> packages,

Some have, many have not.

Were it not for the weak Canadian dollar in recent years (now ended),
resulting in decent prices for honey to Canadian producers, and the advent
of canola pollination a bit over a a decade ago, the attrition would have
been much worse.

> Now the powers that be have decided, (in their infinite wisdom
> and some arm twisting from some well heeled beekeepers in
> Alberta), to re-open the border

Any province can refuse to accept imports, and Ontario has banned bees from
other provinces all along, so nobody opened the Ontario border to imports --
unless Ontario, itself, decided to jump on the bandwagon and not be left
out.  It seems that may be the case?

FWIW, Ontario is a vocal, but fairly insignificant part of the Canadian
beekeeping industry, however it has managed to control the agenda for many
years and enforce measures that disadvantaged the rest of the country.

Recently, however, the majority and the most economically important portion
of the industry has been able to get measures in place to ease the queen bee
supply shortages and perhaps permit expansion.  IMO, further liberation of
trade would certainly help too.

> with the assurance that
> all queens and attendants will be inspected for SHB , AHB, etc. The
> fact that you are finding these pests in southern and California
> packages, that make there way to states that border on our province
> does nothing to calm my fears that we will be seeing all these
> problems in our vicinity in the next year.

All evidence I've heard thus far indicates that, although _adult_ SHB can
live quite a while in northern areas, they do not reproduce very
successfully.  Since the reproductive stages cause the problems, we don't
anticpate problems, even if an occasional SHB were to slip in.  Besides,
Ontario has been importing bees from Australia all along, and from what I
have heard, the SHB in Australia is very close to some Australian exporters.

> It makes me think that
> maybe those southern packages are part of the problem instead of the
> solution.

Sure would be nice if we could have that problem here in Alberta.

allen
A Beekeeper's Diary: http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/

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