Hello Peter & All,

Peter you have your area of expertise ( bee inspection in New York?) and I
have mine. I was in Florida when the first varroa find was made. I have
first hand knowledge on the subject of the way package bees are made up.

This may be new news to you but not to commercial beekeepers which sell bulk
bees. I went clear back to "The Varroa Handbook" (copy 1988) to give you an
example of how COMMON  queen & package bee producers buying bulk bees is.

Of course those selling package bees really would like to keep quiet about
their buying bulk bees.
or
the possibility of AHB or beetles in package bees.

To really be an informed list BEE-L members need to really understand issues
*as they really are* and not buy into the BS put out by many in the industry
with an agenda.

Most commercial beekeepers make their living by doing pollination and
producing honey.
The queen & package industry is directed in a big part at hobby & sideline
beekeepers.
Those selling queens & package bees are  concerned about image NOT
commercial beekeepers for the most part!


Bob said:
> It has been awhile since we visited the way pests & disease are spread. I
> have said many times that *package bees* are the number one way.

Peter said:
>I would think that your friends who sell bees for a living would expect you
>to produce *some evidence* of this, before making such a sweeping
>condemnation.

Glad to Peter!

Quotes from "The Varroa Handbook"( Dr. Larry Conner 1988)

"The Spread of Varroa"

To get people up to speed without a bunch of typing.
Around 3000 packages containing varroa were shipped from Florida on several
dates:
Below is what Dr. Larry Conner in "The Varroa Handbook" wrote about the
source of these packages:

"Florida beekeepers, like beekeepers found in many parts of the U.S., often
cooperate to make up larger orders for package bee shipments. In the case of
THIS shipment ,several beekeepers provided bees which made up these
packages"

David Miska at a later date told Larry Conner:

"Miska stated that 14 beekeepers provided BEES for the package bee shipment
to Wisconsin"

The above from the Varroa Handbook clearly shows the *number one* way
disease and pests are spread. The Lions share of the shipments went to
beekeepers only getting a package or two shipped to all areas of the U.S..

In Florida the first thought was to quarantine the movement of bees on comb
to prevent varroa spread to areas of the U.S.. Always trying to shut the
gate AFTER the horse has run the gate so to speak!

Queen & package producers have always pointed the finger at commercial
migratory beekeepers to get the powers that bee to look in another
direction.

I have never heard complaints from commercial about the finger pointing as
we have broad shoulders and most commercial beekeepers are interested in
doing pollination, producing honey and making money with bees OTHER than
selling queens & package bees.

Are commercial beekeepers the MAIN source of CCD and nosema spread?

bob

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