Jim said:
> And if you think that you can stop AHB cold, let's
> hear your idea in detail.
The idea was not mine but I was consulted as to if the idea was sound. The
largest beeks in the U.S. came up with the idea as our researchers and all
others had no plan at all other than to document the northward movement of
AHB.
AHB we were being told would be the end of commercial beekeeping in the
Mexico/U.S. and possibly a serious threat to people living in areas
colonized by AHB. Also a serious PR problem for beeks and would result in
many areas bees are now kept in banning bees.
The above was what our researchers were telling us.
The plan put forward to stop AHB in its tracks or at least slow movement to
a crawl was to place American foulbrood tainted syrup plus AFB comb in traps
in several lines at the narrow strip of remote area in Panama through which
the AHb had to pass through. its highly unlikely at least a few bees of each
swarm would not bring in some of the spores.
The bees would slow to a crawl and then die. Other swarms coming through
would also rob the dead nests or move into and then die.
On the plus side the genius which devised the plan thought that if any
swarms made it through they would be resistant to American foulbrood which
would please Dr. Rothenbuler and add valuable genetics to our gene pool.
I would be careful of criticizing the plan as the sharpest minds in
beekeeping agreed at a national meeting the plan was sound and was a
*drastic* but workable solution based on the dire problems the arrival of
AHB would have on Mexican & U.S. beekeeping ( according to above
researchers).
I personally think those researchers had watched too many Hollywood movies
about AHB looking back. The beekeeper which worked out the plan had made
over a dozen trips south to study AHB.
bob
****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm *
****************************************************