Chris Allen wrote:
>
> At 12:48 PM 13/03/97 -1000, you wrote:
> >Does Australia import honey bees from other countries.
>
> This has been covered before.
>
> Australia allows the import of breeder queens under strict quarantine.  The
> beekeeper must get permission before hand to import a queen.  I think a
> certificate of health is required.
>
> When she arrives she is taken to the quarantine cages.  At this stage she is
> given a completely new set of escorts (from local colonies kept for the
> purpose).  Her old escorts (about 40 of them) are destroyed and examined.
>
> If the escorts are satisfactory, the queen is put in to a breeding nucleus.
> These colonies are still in restricted flight cages. If required, a licensed
> person will artificially inseminate her.  The colony will raise her brood
> which is also examined.
>
> If her new brood is satisfactory, the beekeeper can take queen cells from
> the station for introduction to the apiary.
>
> Eventually the imported queen is destroyed and so are all the bees that were
> in contact with her.  Only queen cells are released from the quarantine station.
>
> This system has worked well.  It has intercepted a few cases of pests and
> bad genetic stock.
>
> There is no need to import package bees because we do not destroy our
> colonies in winter. (they can still gather honey through the winter)  The
> ocassional import of highe quality genetic breed stock is all that is
> required and the quarntine system works very weel for that purpose.
>
> Regards
>
> Chris AllenPlease excuse me it this topic has been discussed before.  It seems to
me that quanantine regulations are of little use for bees or any other
animal since it is almost 100% certain that whatever disease you are
trying to prevent will eventually reach that area.  All you are doing is
delaying the inevitable and when this occurs your stocks will have no
resistance to the desease and the effect will be worse.
 
We have a similar problem in Scotland at present with the Varroa mite
making its way up from England.  I think although certain measures have
been implimented regarding the movement of bees from infected areas it
is just a delaying tactic and the whole of Britain will have sucumbed to
the mite in a few years.
 
It used to be that when one child in a street got measles then all the
other children were sent to play with that child thus protecting them
from the disease in later life.
 
Harry