To Brian and others,

Yes there are at least two enclaves free of varroa that I am aware of in North America. This is according to the Provincial Apiculture Branch here in British Columbia, Canada. One is the Powell River Bee District, just north of Vancouver, Canada. The second is the Bulkley-Nechako/ Kitimat-Stikine Bee District, located in the northwest corner of BC, adjacent to and below the Alaska Panhandle.
However, it should be noted that both of these areas are mite free as a result of a combination of geographic isolation and ongoing quarantine efforts.  In fact, we have just this spring discovered varroa in the far eastern portion of the second district mentioned. It is assumed that now that the mites have breached the height of land that is thought to have prevented their westward migration,  they will  spread through the rest of the district through natural means, swarming, robbing, etc.
I mention this because I find Brians reference to the Hawaiian producers business somewhat misleading, or perhaps just not relevant to a discussion of beekeeping in most of the world where  Bee-L's subscribers do business. Hawaiis geographic isolation has so far offered beekeepers there the opportunity to raise bees free of varroa. I suspect that most Hawaiian producers would encounter the same challenges if, and some say when (think New Zealand) varroa breaches their defenses.

Rob Munson.

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