-----Original Message-----
Steve Nobel says
"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."

Yes that is my understanding of the statement made by Bob Fanning when he
wrote:
“I can only conclude that the free movement of honeybee colonies does
expedite the spread of honeybee problems.” and which you said that were
inclined to accept.

I then gave the example of varroa which spread throughout the world was
enabled by the movement of bees which had been infected with the mite. This
spread jumped countries in its spread.

I further pointed out that in Ireland varroa mites were found in a colony
some 50 miles away from the nearest known source of infested bees. I made
the assumption of 6 miles per year as being the distance an infested swarm
might travel before settling down.

The fact that there are heather plants both erica and ling nearby might have
accounted for a more rapid transport of the mite, or a more likely
probability was the purchase of colonies from infested areas.

AHB is a different scenario as I understand that colonies from a swarm will
swarm again within the same year

Ruary

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