> It has been said that 1 mite makes for an infested colony. > Also that with a queen bee mating 10-17 times that 1 mating > also makes for technically saying africanized FWIW. But as > you brought up....what does it mean really here in USA? Is > it right or wrong when compared to how looked at in other > countries? That is a good question. I've been present at talks on how the process of Africanization proceeds, so I am acquainted with the theory, at least as much as is known, and as much of that as is told, but wonder: If what is being said is true, then the end point is a foregone conclusion. Much of the US will become africanized, and the rest will have regular and extended visits from AHB via the migratories. So, it seems to me that the solution is to tame the AHB, rather than fight it. Where did I read or hear that the reason that the AHB in Tucson are now less problem than when they first arrived was that the troublemaking swarms/hives were immediately killed, whereas the less troublesome ones were not detected and thus left alone. This selection, over a decade or more, apparently had a noticeable effect, so it seems that they respond to selection pressures fairly quickly, as expected. Maybe there is too big an investment in existing stocks, or a simple adversion to anything africanized, but if you cannot beat them, why not join them? There seem to be a lot of good characteristics there. allen -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---