>> ...Australian imports have never had any Tracheal exposure and having
>> them installed in almonds near the major California queen breeding areas
>> could create a new round of tracheal susceptibility in the USA...

> Is there any proof backing this up?

What part of the word "could" was unclear in the article?  :)

The Aussies promote both their country and bees as "disease and pest free",
which implies that they have no ability to even test for tracheal mite
resistance.
They claim they have never seen a single tracheal mite in Oz.

> TM resistance is a trait that can fade fast unless actively maintained.

Yes, and this is why it is so highly unlikely that Aussie queen and package
producers have any chance at all of producing tracheal mite resistant bees.
(If they were using breeder queens and semen imported from the USA or
elsewhere, it would be much more possible, but they have a near 100%
ban on bee-related imports.)

> I have had years of extensive experience with stock from a number of
> Australian suppliers, and I have not found their stock to be particularly
> susceptible to tracheal mite.

But did you have ANY tracheal mite issues at all in those yards?
The mites have to come from somewhere, ya know, and they just
don't live for long away from live bees.  If you did have other (non-Aussie)
colonies suffering from tracheal mite infestation near the Aussie bees,
and if you really did sample and test for tracheal mites, finding that the
Aussie bees seemed resistant, please tell us about it!

> This sort of speculation -- unless there is some real evidence to back it
> up -- IMO is irresponsible, and -- if spoken in public at all -- should
> always be accompanied by a disclaimer that it is merely an idea, and there
> is no proof -- until there is, at least.

Again, what part of "could" was unclear?

Anyway, the whole issue seems to be moot, given the report of Apis Cerana
in Australia in Bee Culture's most recent "Catch The Buzz" newsletter.
What with all the concern over Nosema Ceranae, I'd guess that both Canada
and the USA will shut down Aussie imports until they can prove that the
situation with Apis Cerana is not going to turn out to be the same sort of
Three Stooges Film Festival scenario that unfolded with small hive
beetles in Australia.

> Most scientists are really careful not to say hypothetical things like this,

Clearly, you don't get invited to the sort of places where real science is
discussed. This sort of speculation is constant.  Properly qualified (as was
the comment to which you object was), there is nothing wrong with such
speculation.

> since people fail to understand that it is merely speculation, and
> immediately believe that -- since it came from an authority -- it must be
> true.

I don't think that the beekeeping community needs anyone to
translate from English to English for them.  I suspect that the
readership is much smarter than you seem to think.

> I'm betting, though that the Aussie stock is not worse than the run of the
> mill US stock, and it actually, from my experience may be better.

How much, exactly are you wagering?
What sort of odds are you giving?

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