> trevor's and peter's postings have rekindled my curiosity on the date(s)
> of  early introductions to the new world...does anyone know if the
> vikings were beekeepers at the time of their vinland settlement in
> Newfoundland (about a millenium ago)?
> I too have heard of a date in the 1530's for a presumed (Spanish)
> introduction, but have not been able to find documentation for this...my
> 2 editions of "the hive and the honeybee"(1975&1992) do not  have the
> 1963 e.crane reference previously mentioned, could you post it more fully
> (peter)?
> (trevor, what  response(s) did you get from beebrazil-list, you mentioned
> something from Portugal?)
 
Thanks to Tomas for his information on the beebrazil-list.
 
I had a reply from Antonio from Portugal giving the 1839 date that Peter quoted and also a reference to an article by the Royal Academy of Sciences in Lisbon saying that in 1799 there was no Apis mellifera in Brazil.
 
I am not looking to re-write history.  Just find out what the histroy actually is and apply that to the Australian situation.
 
Trevor Weatherhead
AUSTRALIA