Allen

> True, perhaps, but Britain, AFAIK, have no large scale migratory 
> beekeeping nor an agriculture system that depends on it.  Each country is 
> different.

Migration does happen, but with so many of the orchards in Kent having been 
removed, I suspect that most migration now is to heather moors in August. 
Some move to borage, but there is much less of it being grown in the last 2 
years.

> Also, having some challenge from disease ensures that the bees maintain 
> defense mechanisms.

Perhaps.

> Apparently Britain is having some other sorts of problems presently.  Who 
> knows if better immunity might have helped.

Main problem is EFB in Scotland.  That could probably have been contained 
very well if it had been recognised.  Other than that we do not have many 
problems - except fo the weather.

> As for gamma rays, the benefits are mire than merely saving equipment from 
> destruction.  Even without the need to sterilize after AFB, the brood 
> boxes coming out of sterilization reportedly perform far better in many 
> ways. Beekeepers report "Brood patterns like I haven't seen for years".

With our very low levels of AFB we do not need to resort to nuking 
everything.  I also worry about by products of the radioactivity.

> Burning definitely has its place, but even ignoring the destruction of 
> valuable comb and the air pollution it causes, especially where plastic 
> comb and hive parts are employed, there are many other downsides.

Very little plastic comb or hive products used over here - and if they need 
to be destroyed then this would be done in a special plant to avoid 
pollution - we do not burn plastic.

> IMO, burning is soooo yesterday.

Seems a better option to me than your antibiotic treadmill.  We have so 
little AFB that it most beekeepers never see it.
Best wishes

Peter Edwards
beekeepers at stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk
www.stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk/

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