> There was much discussion about the educational benefits of
> inspection.
> Most commercial people said it was a pain, not at all needed
> since they had
> to "keep their bees clean" to make money.  They indicated it was a
> "hobbyist" thing.
>

Most of your commercial beekeepers that are still able to make a living at
beekeeping are top notch when it comes to controlling AFB and other pests.
Without following best practices they would quickly go under.

The problem is that when whe have a "most" we have a "the rest". It is hard
to stay up with all of the new problems that are out there. Here in Florida
we have some of the best inspectors  around. We are having to deal with
resistant mites, AFB, beetles and who knows what the next thing will be.

I have a lot of sympathy for the migratory beekeepers. But migratory
beekeepers are going to spread problems, it is just the nature of being
mobile. Good inspections will help all beekeepers, incuding the migratory
group. One key element is that they need to be sensitive to the needs and
limitations of the migratory folks. After all if a truck load of bees is
just passing through there is little need to get them to stop and search the
hives.

-
"One of the best examples of pure democracy in action is the lynch mob"
- AA4YU