Hello Dave & All,
Bob said:
......and now those wanting to stop the import are in a
>> worse position than before.

The reason I said the above Dave is that a group of beeks. Very vocal on 
another list. tried to get the import stopped but did not "have all their 
ducks in a row".

The WTO rules are well defined. The wheels of government grind slow but 
fine. Once a policy is in effect like the Australian import which took 
decades to get done then closing the door needs to be based on fact.

Those which tried to shut down the import based their opposition on rumor 
rather than fact. Opps!

Aphis did stop the import for around thirty days while checking the things 
those opposed had said (which really surprised me) .

The Australian inspection service is far superior to ours. Fact. When Aphis 
approached the Australian service with the claims of those U.S. beeks Aphis 
discovered their claims were based on rumors and were not true.

At each package filling an inspection member attends and checks each hive. 
packages full of small hive beetle did not happen.

The easily contained ceranae find was hundreds of miles from the package 
operation.

So now the issue with SHB and A. cerana problems is settled. Now those 
wishing to stop the import need to find a new problem to complain about.

Many of us need those bees and queens as we can not get queens or package 
bees at that time of the year from our U.S. suppliers.

The world of U.S. pollination for the most part involves a couple hundred 
commercial beeks. One family runs close to 90,000 hives. We are a very small 
industry as compared to the rest of agriculture but a vital industry. Since 
the first mite until today we have been on our own. Business does not want 
to register the products we need.

 researchers want to spend countless dollars on bee dance and projects which 
do little to help us stay in business.

Beeks spent a huge amount of money to get the new mega bee research done and 
then the product was patented by the researcher to sell to beeks at double 
the price of any other supplement. ( and I might add is not worth double the 
price).

I ( as do several others) know the formula and method involved  I am 
surprised the formula & method has not yet been posted on a beekeeping list 
yet. Maybe because there are better formulas out there beeks have came up 
with for a fraction of the cost.

Many times beeks do not think things through. Which is what happened with 
trying to close the Australian import. I say in a sincere way to California 
beeks that if the Australian border should close then efforts to open the 
Mexican border will be speeded up which in my opinion will cause you serious 
issues such as in almond pollination, $15 package bees & ninety cent queens. 
The hold up now is California has SHB and Mexico in most places does not. 
U.S. beeks can get queens and package bees from southern Mexico at the same 
time as from Australia.
I have said ( as many reading realize) in commercial meetings that I am 
against opening the Mexico border. I really am! California beeks will have a 
hard time surviving. I was for the opening of the Australian border for 
reasons I have said over and over before on BEE-L.

California beeks are not always fond of me but I think its mostly from 
having to hear what is going on. The only thing which is certain in 
beekeeping is CHANGE!

bob

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