Hi All Enjoyed reading the lists of threats to bees around the world. (so far nothing from Malaysia - Choon??) Here is my list for the eastern cape province, South Africa (middle of the tip of africa) 1) Traditional honey gatherers - view a beehive as an unownable thing - hence very difficult to presuade not to remove the hive/ smash it up with a rock and burn it to get the honey. 2) Cheap 'bee experts' - who provide bad advice and use poisons to kill beehives. Multiplies bee pathogens and damages urban resevoirs of honeybees that repopulate the countryside after droughts. 3) Lawnmowers and racist bees. Bees don't like lawnmowers, and they don't like dark people - if they did not have these little quirks, 90% of bad bee problems would not happen. 4) Government - in Africa the G word is always a problem somehow or other. 5) Hollywood - somehow or other this places' movie industry has managed to transplant Apiphobia to South Africa. Pity. Others: Honey badgers?? Fork tailed drongas etc. Just must say - Ron - I aggree fully with you about the bee removals. Keep well Garth Garth Cambray Camdini Apiaries 15 Park Road Grahamstown Apis mellifera capensis 6139 South Africa Time = Honey The Universe is not here right now, if you would like to leave a message, leave your name and number after the long silence and it will get back to you as soon as possible.