BEES AND QUEENS FROM NEW ZEALAND?
 
Two topics of recent postings have been the potential spread and
impact of AHB into the northern USA and Canada, and the impact of
mites on management of hives.
 
Now might be a good time to suggest that perhaps those beekeepers
in the northern USA might prefer to get their queens and/or
packages from the queen exporting nation with with the world's
most enviable disease status.
 
I would be interested to hear some opinions as to why we have
found it so difficult to negotiate access to the US for our bees.
Interesting that the historical reason came from back in 1922, when
the US was afraid of importing Acarine.  Kind of difficult to
maintain that justification, eh?
 
Apart from the 'we wouldn't want to accidentally import something
new that no one knows anything about' argument, what REAL reasons
exist (technical, not market) for not allowing NZ bee and queens
into the US?  As an aside, I'll point out that our industry
several years ago hired a fulltime bee pathologist to conduct a
full scale survey of our bee pest and disease status - we're
probably one of the most intensively surveyed and inspected
beekeeping countries in the world!
 
I'd also be interested to hear reasons that the border SHOULD be
opened - what sort of support does exist?  IS there a market for
bees and queens that have a PROVEN quality?
 
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          Nick Wallingford
 (Tauranga, on the east coast of the North Island
  of New Zealand - kiwifruit pollination centre of
  New Zealand and the world!)
 
     Internet [log in to unmask]
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