> For example, it is apparent that viruses may be transmitted vertically
from queen breeding operations overseas to queen breeding operations in the
USA, and thence to the customers' bees via the queen, her eggs and her
drones' semen.

>    If I understand correctly, most of the viruses that are causing the
>problems may not be new, and they may always be with us (the bees)... Until
I can be shown otherwise I will attempt to practice this kind of beekeeping.

Right, but that was my point. Viruses *may be* transmitted this way, but to
stop buying queens and bees from other people is simply not a sensible
option even so. That would be like stopping international air travel to
prevent the spread of human diseases. Cure worse than disease, etc.

I lived during the last years of the polio epidemic and I remember the crazy
paranoid things people did, like not let their kids go swimming in public
places. In fact, out of the five in my family, only I caught it. So,
isolation is not the key but getting at the underlying cause of the problem. 

Finally, while I commend people for thinking and talking about "sustainable
farming" you would have to be a crystal ball reader to really know the
consequences of any particular practice. I think it is a safe bet that
beekeeping in one form or another will be around as long as people are.

pb

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