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Subject:
From:
Walter Patton <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Discussion of Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 22 Dec 1997 13:33:59 -1000
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Dear BEE-L readers
        The USDA is poised to allow Australian and New Zealand honey bees into the
United States. It has not been in the federal registry and they would like
to allow this to start in Spring of 1998. The USDA already has circumvented
the intent of the Honey Bee act of 1922 with a sloppy (possibly an illegal)
rule making process a couple of years ago that effectively did away with
the Honey Bee Act which was established in 1922 by Congress with the intent
" to prevent the introduction and spread of pests and disease of Honey
Bees" by prohibiting the import of Honey Bees from any where to the U S .
        History lesson over the USDA is ready, in 1998, to allow the Australian
and NZ honey bees into the US. The problem is that the Australians and the
New Zealand bee keeping industry needs easy access to the Honolulu
International Airport as a break and distribution hub to facilitate the
business of exporting their bees to the US, Canada, Korea, and of coarse
China. In the last rule making the USDA  tried to ignore that this
transiting of NZ honey bees through Honolulu airport constituted an entry
into the state of Hawaii which has been prohibited since 1985 by Hawaii
State Statue in an attempt to protect the Hawaiian Honey Bees from the
introduction of Honey bee mites and other diseases. Hawaii queen bees are
certified to be mite free.
        Now after more consideration the USDA has recognized that this transiting
is an entry and that the concerns of the State of Hawaii and the Hawaii bee
keepers should be given a little additional thought. In addition to the
request of New Zealand and Australia other Asian countries according to Dr.
Robert Flanders with APHIS/USDA have been making inquiries about transiting
through Hawaii to export markets. A quick fix was proposed  that if the
State of Hawaii would not object to the transiting of NZ and Aus. Honey
bees that Hawaii would be excluded from the import of the NZ and Aus. Bees
leaving this issue of other countries to be decided at a later date.
        To date the Hawaii Dept. Of Ag has said no to the quick fix and is
developing a protocol proposal for the testing of the Hawaii honey bee
populations. The question is what is needed for a true risk assessment to
be meaningful? How many of the 12 or 14 diseases reported to be present on
the NZ bees should we look for on our bees? Proving a negative being much
more difficult then proving a positive what percentage do we have to check.
100% or
 5 % of total colonies? What is the health status of other nations wishing
to ship through Hawaii and do we screen for those also?
I really and truly do not have a clue as to the answer to these questions.
The Hawaii Dept. Of Ag.is seeking input from the industry and I would
appreciate any suggestions from the group.
Thanking everyone for their considerations in advance and wishing everyone
the Happiest of Holidays-
                        Aloha   Walter Patton   Hawaii

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