Dear Adrian
 
    Re. Request for Canadians
 
    As some of my colleagues already responded, the Varroa mite was first
    detected in British Columbia in the Fraser Valley in August 1992, in a swarm
    trap at the border with Washington State.   The Fraser Valley was declared
    generlly infested a few months later.  Its incidence was still low but its
    distribution quite wide in the valley.
 
    Extensive surevys through most of the province during subsequent years
    revealed that the mite was limited to border areas with the US.  In 1994,
    some incidental Varroa finds were made along highway corridors northward to
    the (BC and Alberta) PEace River region.  Clear evidence of the effects of
    transporting infested colonies along highways.
 
    In 1995, a significant introduction of Varroa was observed when large
    numbers of colonies were allowed to be moved from the (infested) Fraser
    Valley to the (fruit growing) Okanagan Valley.
 
    In short, the Varroa mite has steadily and slowly found its way into
    beekeeping areas farther away from the Canada/US border.  This expansion has
    been clearly the result of the actions of beekeepers moving infested
    colonies around.
 
    Since 1987 (well before the arrival of TM and Varroa), BC placed a ban on
    the movement of all bees from the mainland to Vancouver Island (& adjacent
    islands).  Until now, extensive surveys have shown that neither Varroa nor
    TM occur in this protected area.
 
    Paul van Westendorp                         [log in to unmask]
    Provincial Apiarist
    British Columbia