At 08:00 PM 6/26/98 +0100, you wrote:
 
>Seriously, I would like to see more positive effort being made to keep
>some parts of our country varroa free especially the Islands.  The only
>100% way I know of killing varroa is to destroy the colony.  To
>"Control" the varroa is only giving it more time to spread.
 
The regulatory mentality is the same the world over. You are 1st given a
choice, destroy the colonies and move your bees, or maybe don't kill the
colonies and don't move the bees. The 2nd degree or level of regulation is
to allow movement with approved treatment and testing after the 1st does
not stop the spread.
 
If you don't move your bees and many don't then its a great plan. Does it
slow down the spread of Varroa, I don't think it makes even a season's
difference at least here in the US it didn't.
 
Could a bee or drone bee or a swarm of bees travel 40 miles or more over
water or even barren land? I know bees will work and make gains at 7 miles
so that's 14 straight line and I suspect that bees do get caught up in
winds as other insects do and could travel 40 miles or more. I don't know
what the record is but would not want to say it does not happen or could
not happen. I do believe that most long distance spread of new pests is man
associated and there are many records of this at any port, airport or
regulated boarder crossings. BTW, any of these that are large and
international are good places to find new insects and new flowers.<G> By
man associated I mean hitch hiking on goods in transit.
 
Once a pest becomes established in one or more hives the drifting between
hives and apiaries by the drones and workers speeds up the process of
making all bee hives equal in their pests, predators, and disease.
 
Good Luck!
 
ttul, the OLd Drone
 
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