From a New Zealand point of view, we  are all for world trade. We are so big we could only feed California for a couple of days with our total yearly exports, but we also want to protect our biodiversity and animals from exotic diseases.



Luckily we are surrounded by oceans and are a tiny country but some things do get blown in from Australia from time to time.



We do not permit any imports of live bees or honey from countries with pests and diseases we do not have.



Yes our Biosecurity system let us down in 1999.



As part of our Biosecurity, hives are inspected each year around high risk areas such as ports and airports.

For some reason the samples from hives around Auckland went astray and were not lab checked so varroa was well established when beekeepers observed Varroa in their hives in 2000.



This incursion most probably came from an illegally imported  queen or perhaps a swarm in a container. Ships found with bees have to stay out at sea until they have been destroyed.



In Australia varroa got established away from their sentinel hives around their ports. Not sure how they got hive beetle.



For exports of live bees, we give country assurance. Apart from the testing of high risk areas, samples are taken from each shipment and lab tested to provide importing country’s assurance.



Our last import of bees was in the 1960’s and last import of carniolan semen was 2007 from memory which we think brought in deformed disease.



They say Biosecurity is a net but actually it’s got a big mesh size and it’s the responsibility of everybody to protect their country’s borders.



Great the Bee-L is spreading the word about tropilaelaps.



Frank Lindsay

New Zealand.



             ***********************************************

The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned

LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:

http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html