<<I guess that you will, however, go down the same path as the rest of us have already trod.  My advice would be to put most of your effort in learning how to cope when it does inevitably arrive.>>

Were I a betting person, I'd put money on it; that we'll get Varroa sooner or later. It's not a question of if, it's a question of when.  I'd say the Australians would say the same thing, but this pessimistic prediction hasn't stopped them from making a big biosecurity effort to keep it out of their country (BTW it's too easy to dismiss their efforts as simply a self-serving bureaucratic job-maker).

I find it interesting that Australia considers port of entry as the #1 risk for a Varroa incursion.  Illegal importation is considered less of a risk. "The ban on the importation of queen bees into Australia may increase the likelihood of smuggling. However, the risks associated with the introduction of V. destructor are well known to the beekeeping community and smuggling is considered to currently be a relatively low risk." I'd rate smuggling (i.e., illegal importation) as the #1 risk here because we do not have the same biosecurity culture as they do in Australia. As you know, it only takes a single beek smuggler to start the infestation. 

 I mentioned Nova Scotia in a previous message.  Varroa was discovered there in 1995. Then provincial apiarist, Dick Rogers, reported “Evidence suggests that Varroa has been in the Halifax/Dartmouth area of Nova Scotia for 3 years. The introduction appears to have been human assisted, but unable to get admissions of involvement or supporting proof….Eradication is not being considered because of the distribution of Varroa finds. Movement of colonies out of Halifax/Dartmouth area for blueberry pollination are responsible for the rapid and widespread dispersion of Varroa in 1995” (CAPA 1996: 28-29). I've heard from a reliable source that the human assistance took the form of someone smuggling queens with infested attendants through Canadian customs on return from Europe. Never confirmed.

In any event, we'll make preparation (training, etc.) for the establishment of the pest in our honey bee stocks the fourth component of our Varroa Action Plan.

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