> James said, and I agree, the central point of the New Zealand article
> was that beekeeping practices  have to change.

On that we can agree.  We all agree.  In fact, we cannot stop the change.
Why try?

> I think he would agree
> that the use of illiterate help and swapping equipment are hardly
> good beekeeping practices, regardless of how common.

Not everyone can get an academic job.  Many just do what they can.  That's
America.

> But if you don't have that much time, obviously you don't
> have time to inspect hives anyway, except dead ones (if that) and you
> no doubt have bees like Lloyd describes:

That's a low one, and a bad guess to boot.  Cute though.

The trouble with beekeeping is that there are too many moving parts.  What
other business is this complex and requires so many different things to be
done right?

> >I have personally seen commercial, migratory beekeeping operations with
> >brood nests full of AFB scale.  Yet these operations regularly pass
> >inspections needed to migrate.  The justification is that there is "no
> >active AFB, and if we kept out all hives with scale we would close the
> >migratory operations."

This is just plain bad, and if anything is creating resistance, this is it.
Something has to change.  Radiation???

> And if that is the actual state of commercial beekeeping today, then
> they will never be rid of drugs because they no doubt have millions
> of spores in every hive. They pass the inspections! What kind of
> inspection is that? But that isn't beekeeping anyway. *That* is bee
> having.

Hey, hey, hey.  I think that is directed my way :(    But I agree with you.
These guys (beekeepers and 'inspectors') give us Bee Havers a bad name.

> Please remember, this list is called: Informed Discussion of
> Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology.

Well, that's true, and as it should be. I understand your difficulty and
sympathize, but, if you get caught up on some of the new ideas out there and
lighten up a bit, you needn't be embarrassed.

The world keeps on a turning and the paradigms keep shifting.  Stay young.

b. hAVER