Subject: | |
From: | |
Reply To: | |
Date: | Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:37:23 -0400 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
The distance from the site where varroa were first found to
Honolulu Airport (5 miles) forces me to wonder if any of those
"plane changing bees" from NZ might have escaped, flown towards
a light (assuming that they are still only allowed on planes
that land at night) and formed a swarm.
The proximity of the site to the Honolulu harbor is closer
(3 miles), but the length of even the fastest ocean voyage
to Hawaii from anywhere makes me wonder how a swarm could
survive that long. While an AHB colony certainly could set
up shop in a cargo container and put up enough stores to
survive the trip, this seems unlikely, as the varroa-infested
bees were not described as "defensive", and we have to give
AHB credit for expanding more quickly than varroa can.
Does anyone know someone involved in USDA APHIS at Honolulu
Airport that could be able to confirm/deny any "incidents"
in the transshipment of bees from overseas?
Alternative scenarios for the introduction of varroa to the
island of Oahu are welcome, but varroa can't be kept alive
for long away from bees, even in lab environments, so I think
we need to focus on how bees infested with varroa could have
gotten past the various plant/animal inspections, and thereby
rule out sources other than the transshipment of bees forced
upon Hawaii by APHIS as a part of the WTO process.
******************************************************
* Full guidelines for BEE-L posting are at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm *
******************************************************
|
|
|