>Do migratory beekeepers stop at the 35th parallel? Of course not. My point really was addressed at the likelihood of the bees becoming ESTABLISHED outside their apparent viable range. No doubt they could quite easily be brought into any area by migratory beekeepers, and would probably do fine in the summer, but for whatever reason something stops them establishing outside that range permanently. They have not apparently done so in Argentina (perhaps a local respondent out there could add their comments on this) which also has migratory beekeeping. I should imagine that regular (both assisted and natural) incursions north of their line will take place every year, followed by dying back in the winter. (As an aside, migratory colonies could be well on their way back south before this phenomenon kicks in, possibly leaving genetic havoc in their wake amongst resident colonies in the north.) Exactly where that line will lie in a North American environment remains to be seen however, but the slow down in their progress since crossing the US border from Mexico could be highly significant. Once the position is static it could be possible to look at the possiblity of certain areas being included in a quarantine set up of some kind. Being commercial and migratory myself, albeit in a country with no AHB risk, I can sympathise with migratory beekeeprs and the problems they could encounter if cut off from either their honey crops or traditional wintering areas, and even more so with the problems that could be encountered administering the pollination of the almonds. It is quite a complex issue. -- Murray McGregor