At 06:53 AM 8/14/97 -0700, you wrote:
>This started when someone said the swarm of AHB that arrived in Contra
>Costa County came on a sugar boat from Hawaii.  The boat was actually
>from Guatemala.
 
Oh Lord protect us, C&H Sugar from Guatemala, is nothing sacred anymore!! I
don't know which is the worse case scenario, Afrikaner bees from Hawaii or
California $ Hawaii sugar from Guatemala.
 
>> AHB is not found in Hawaii.
 
They don't need them the feral bees once found in Hawaii were at one time
considered of hottest tempered type anyway. When Powers and Weaver  set up
rearing queens in Hawaii after a few years I wanted to send some
business their way so I purchased a 100 queens to test. They turned out to
be so foul tempered that the next year and for several years after when
they offered to replace them free I wanted no part of them.
 
>This swarm survived a long sea voyage but was quite small when it was
>discovered.  Federal officials attempted to kill the swarm with a >fogging
unit such as they would normally use to fumigate a container.  >The swarm
flew off to parts unknown.
 
Yep, "I am here from the government and I am here to help you!"
Anyway thanks Bob for the real story on the bees, too bad the newspapers
can't get it right.
 
ttul, Andy-
 
>Some dead bees were recovered by the County Agricultural Commissioner,
>sent to the lab and found to be Africanized.  It is unlikely that the
>swarm was viable.  The county is trapping the area to be sure.
>
>Bob Roach
>
>