"David L. Green" wrote:

> In a message dated 5/13/00 5:19:42 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> > I heard from someone else that they too thought the Africanized were much
> >  less aggressive when the colony is small.  Surely, this must have occurred
> >  to folks as a possible management tool (e.g., in Mexico, Brazil..?).
>
>    It already has. One of the pickle company officials who frequently travels
> to southern Mexico to help manage their large winter cucumber plantings, told
> me that the bees they use were africanized, and the pollination is done with
> nucs.

I fail to understand the relevance. Efficient pollination is effected because of
many factors within the hive. Size being one of them.

Why should ahb nukes do the same pollination job as a strong colony of anything
else?

Or are we saying that we were wrong all this time and that ahb's do a better job
than your locals instead of vice versa? I can see someone needing to do a bit of
explaining in that event.

Do cukes need LESS pollination? That is not what we are led to believe from the
video.

Anyway, why would you want smaller colonies of bees?

How would their reduced aggression constitute a management tool?

Do you need to manage small colonies?

1. Small colonies (hopefully) get big ... and very soon with ahb.
2. The bigger, surely the better as far as honey production etc. is concerned?

Or are you really scared of litigation?

Greetings from Cape Town

Robert Post - thinking defensively!