The who-struck-John of NY beekeeping organizations in the thread "Farm
Bureau," which is no longer about the Farm Bureau, is neither
comprehensible nor that interesting to me, but one issue seems to be
disease inspection.

Is there any controversy that state-run hive inspections for disease
reduces losses to disease?  Here in Maryland we have an active inspection
program by the Maryland Department of Agriculture which appears to have the
wholehearted support of the beekeeping community.  Jerry Fischer and his
crew of contract inspectors do a tremendous job and I wish there were more
of them and that they had the funds to put in more hours.

It seems to us that AFB is a public health menace, not just a private
problem.  A few years ago someone who didn't understand foulbrood just let
his hives fester and my bees robbed them out and infected mine, causing
substantial loss to my operation.  I want the inspectors to find AFB and
work with the beekeepers to take action, and have the power to force action
if a beekeeper is ignorant enough to object to doing something about it.

It seems to me that eliminating inspection is like not monitoring the brake
fluid level in your car.  No problem.  Till there's a problem.

marc hoffman

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