Fr. James Cassidy wrote (11/9/95):
>Hoping to help steer the discussion away from whether or not the
>list should be split, I would like to pose a question. As a beekeeper
>and an academic--an historian with an interest in history of science and
>history of biology--I was wondering the other day where the present
>problem we experience in the USA with mites came from.
******
An official embargo against importing bees has been in place in the U.S.
since 1922. However, queen breeders and beekeepers have continued to
smuggle stock in from other countries in the apparently mistaken belief
that there is some magical strain out there that could outperform their
existing strains. (Editorial: More efficient management has always been a
better solution.)
Those who don't know history, of course, are doomed to repeat earlier
mistakes. Despite one disaster after another since 1922, someone in
Florida brought in yet more bees in the same illegal way, along with their
varroa mite passengers. By selling queens to beekeepers in a dozen states
without realizing he was also providing a plague, he initially nearly
single-handedly brought the roof down on our heads. Migratory beekeepers
likely (and also unwittingly) put the final touches on the spread.
I am now finishing a manuscript for BEE CULTURE on the spread of varroa
mites in the U.S., through the kind cooperation of numerous individuals in
various states (complete with a map of the U.S. and sequence of mite spread
by state).
********
For a quite complete treatment of mites and other pests, refer to the
following reference:
Shimanuki, H., D.A. Knox, B. Furgala, D.M. Caron, and J.L. Williams.
Diseases and pests of honey bees. Pages 1083-1151 in Graham, Joe M. 1992.
THE HIVE AND THE HONEY BEE. Dadant & Sons., Hamilton, Illinois. (Revised
Edition).
If you or your library don't have a copy, have them get one or (better
yet) donate a copy so all in your community will have access to all the
great information contained therein.
[For example, much of the chatter of the last few months concerned
material superbly covered in the following chapter of that same book:
Schmidt, Justin O. Allergy to venomous insects. Pages 1209-1269].
Good reading.
Adrian
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