>I think what is important to note is there appears to be no real advantage
>to these bees over American sources other then the ability to timely
>fulfill contracts for almond pollination.

Right now they are the only place with queens. Poor weather in queen rearing
areas has caused a shortage of queens . Package shipments out of Georgia are
being postponed unless you are willing to take queenless package bees. Buy
Australian queens.

Each year is different Brian. Two package & queen operations closed their
doors recently. I am amazed at those which can not see the scope of
beekeeping in the U.S..

>Thus the importation is primarily for a business reason and NOT a honeybee
>health related or gene pool improvement.

U.S. beekeeping is a billions of dollars business and its only value ( told
to my by a member of congress) is pollination. Honey can be imported he said
and people can take up other hobbies. Although this was a couple of decades
ago I resented congress saying commercial beekeeping was run by a few "fat
cat" millionaire beekeepers. He was upset beekeeper lawyers had pushed
through the honey loan program which he was against.

>  If you feel the same then you might feel outrage that Sue Cobey had to
> wait over a decade to be allowed to import a tiny amount of semen to
> IMPROVE the GENETICS of US breeder queens.

Yawn! Maybe would have been faster if she had wanted to import Italian 
semen! ( kidding guys!)


<This is potentially a  scary precedence if we let pollination business
interests take over and push honeybee health impacts aside but meanwhile a
highly regarded bee researcher is held up with endless red tape.

Washington has become a place you can get things done if you play by
Washington rules. Passing out gift baskets of honey and shaking hands by
both the AHPA & ABF has produced little results in my opinion.
The Aussie import was a surprise to even the Aussies. A single lawyer hired
by a large commercial beekeeper opened the border.

>Fortunately there are some heavy hitters in ABF and AHPA who oppose this
>also and from what I gather are an impetus behind this review.

These heavy hitters (most I am on a first name basis with) have used Aussie
package bees. I wonder what their real reason for the push? Large commercial
migratory beekeepers with problems keeping bees alive wanting to stop the
Aussie imports.

Randy worries now about virus issues when both packages 7 queens have been
coming in for 6 years. Not the three Kim suggested. I suggest the horse has
left the barn and now we are trying to put the horse back in.

Basically forces are at work to stop the import but for what purpose? What
door will stopping the import open?

I guess discussion on opening the Mexico border will not happen now. Jim
.F.( Bee magazine article author and former poster on BEE-L)  looked into
the WTO rules the last time  the subject came up on BEE-L and said he could
not see a way to prevent the border opening ( under current WTO rules) as
both Canada & Mexico are our closest trading partners.

The APHIS decision will not be based on who's for or against the Mexico
border opening but can a lawyer for those against the opening provide a
convincing argument that Mexico has a problem the U.S. has not.

AHB will not work as half the state of California is listed as colonized by
AHb on current maps. SHB is found in Mexico in all areas from one coast to
the other.

I deal in reality and not hype!

bob

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