Hello to Everyone,

A friend awakened me to the recent flurry of posts regarding the spread of
Africanized Honey Bees (AHB) and I found the following posts below which
together have provided a common thread that IMHO was quite difficult to
pick up and follow. I say this without prejudice to anyone; I just wanted
to make my point on this matter understood and give reference to the
preceding posts so that future readers may more easily pick up and follow
this quite serious topic.

These are the recent posts that I am aware of on this subject:
"AHB in the Northeast"
"Africanized bees in the northeast"
"Africanized bees in the northeast! (Was: Unfortunate beekeeping
practices"
"Migratory Problems"
" Unfortunate beekeeping practices"

I am glad to see this subject brought out into the open on BEE-L. I had
first written about this in the April and May issues of “The American Bee
Journal”, and some folks came back to me and asked if I was being
a “Chicken Little”. The spread of AHB is a serious matter with IMHO a high
probability. This is now possible through migratory routes from the
southern states to the north.

Take a few minutes and go to the NAPIS map,
http://ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/shb/imap/shball.html, and check out
the “distribution” of the Small Hive Beetle as of 5/21/2005. Those who
have followed the NAPIS publications on this subject over the years since
the turn of the Century should recall that the “Avenues of Distribution”
are along the corridors of the Interstate Highway System, predominately
Interstate 95 in the eastern states. Here in North Carolina I watched
annual published updates by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services and NAPIS showing counties with the Small Hive
Beetle (SHB) slowly spreading from the major north-south corridors.
Although interstate transportation of honey bees through North Carolina
was and is permitted; it is not permitted for the trucks carrying
migratory honey bees to stop with the “motor off”. Bee nets work as well
as they are tied down. The SHB slowly gained a presence throughout most of
North Carolina. I still have to keep hives and supers of honey separated
from those yards having SHB in order to avoid the spread of SMB within my
own operations.

Now that Florida has publicly confirmed a feral status of AHB I am certain
that unless drastic steps are taken once again the Interstate Highways
will become a corridor, in this instance for the distribution of AHB.  The
big fact in this dismal situation is that this country can’t get along
without having the honey bee performing pollination of her croplands, and
most likely the USDA, APIS, NAPIS, and individual state departments of
agriculture will look the other way when trucks of honey bees, some loaded
with hives of AHB, go merrily along the interstate spreading genetic
misery to the beekeeping industry and the general public at large.

With sincere thoughts,

Chuck Norton

Norton's Nut & Honey Farm-Chuck Norton
330 Irvin Street
Reidsville, NC 27320-3648

Tel: 336 342 4490

Home of: www.sourwoodhoney.com

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