?? We will be fighting to keep the
> eradication program in place.

I doubt eradication will happen. None of our eradication policies worked for
invasive problems in the U.S.. Most were done to make it look like the
problem was being solved.

The big concern from my position was what (if anything) in the way of mites
or virus were in the arrival swarm. Denis Anderson has checked from the
start cast offs from the original swarm many many times.
Australia was lucky. The evidence shows no problems *except* Apis cerana is
now setting up home in Australia.

Relax Trevor as you have dodged a bullet. Cerana will not be a problem for
your industry. Possibly for exports when cerana is found in the close
proximity of the package export areas but will take years (if not decades to
happen).

As you know melifera & cerana do not cross although the cerana drones will
at times mate with a melifera virgin queen but the offspring is like a
*mule* and so each race stays pure.

The stopping of the Aussie import into the U.S. was not based on science but
politics. When pressure is applied to government agencies then many times
they bow to pressure.

While in the South recently I saw a number of beekeepers working hard to
fill the void left by the stopping of the Aussie package bee import.

A whole new industry is in place.

bob

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