Ditto what Bill just said about Peter B.'s ongoing contributions to our collective apicultural history.  In researching the history of Varroa in Canada, it has surprised me to discover the odd person who sees no value in knowing our past.  Of course, those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it! That's a cliche. Mistakes were made in the design and implementation of Canada's Varroa Action Plan in the period 1987-1993, and these are instructive for anyone interested in the design and operation of contemporary apicultural biosecurity programs.

Much of the history of Varroa in Canada is difficult to reconstruct in that what is to be found in the written record is scattered to the winds, and some very important material is not on the public record.  I found one important detailed source that I'm not supposed to have but made good use of it all the same.  Beyond the written source, there is a deep story to be told, although it is consigned to our "oral tradition," passed by word of mouth from one beek generation to the next usually in safe contexts where we don't have to worry about offending our peers or creating political problems.  

Time is of the essence, I'm afraid.  We need to find ways to document much that's currently stored in aging brains (including the "deep" stories) and passed on via the oral tradition, through our podcasts, newsletters, listservs, books on apicultural history like the ones from B.C. and Vermont, etc.

All to say, that Peter B., we benefit greatly from your finger-tip access to your very rich archive, and your version of the oral tradition. So, thanks a million!

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