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Date: | Mon, 13 Mar 1995 10:38:00 -0800 |
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Conrad,
To draw the analogy to wasps is adding to the confusion. Perhaps on an
individual basis AHB and yellowjackets are comparable in some of their
behavior, but surely AHB feral colonies or managed AHB colonies pose a
genuine risk when in close proximity to human activity and habitation. I
think "we" (within the beekeeping fraternity) must acknowledge this fact and
articulate it for the public to know what these risks are. The recent
Killer Bee movie was certainly not helpful in educating the public.
(For those who saw it, it was remarkable that among some of the accurate
information, bees were prescribed the male gender. It floored me that
producers who obviously put in a great deal of effort and money allowed some
bozo to describe a killer bee as a 'mean bug leaving HIS stinger behind!).
In any event, I believe beekeepers can adjust their management to deal with
AHB successfully. However, it are the subsequent and secondary effects that
have the greatest impact on the beekeepers' ability to continue operating.
Information from Mexico (and I presume similar events have taken place in
Central America), indicate that after AHB swept through, commercial
operations incurred greater operating costs to manage a larger number of
smaller colonies and that the loss of apiary sites had the greatest impact.
In the "litigation-prone" US, africanization could spell disaster for many
producers; not only the increased potential of a lawsuit, but also the loss
of apiary sites. Without making the public aware of AHB and educating them
responsibly, any beesting incident may quickly become a "killer bee
incident". Lets try to prevent that.
regards,
Paul van Westendorp [log in to unmask]
Provincial Apiarist
British Columbia
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