Lloyd Spear wrote:

> While I admit migratory beekeepers have to 'make a living', and pollination
>is necessary, who gave migratory beekeepers the right to assess monetary
>damage on the rest of us? We should all be help responsible for our actions,
>but this tiny group is not self-policing and is likely to continue their
>unfortunate practices without penalty.
>
>
Some are not, but most are responsible. I think a lot of the problem is
that they want to do the right thing, but economics tends to blind them
a bit, or at least obscure their sight and judgment. When you are told
by the powers that be that there is no AHB in FL and you have aggressive
hives, do you send samples of those colonies to confirm they are EHB? I
would not. After all, I have had aggressive colonies (but not like the
ones I have seen in Maine recently).

It is sort of like what happened to me recently. I picked up a bug when
visiting PA, which I though was nothing more than a sore throat, and
carried it back to Maine. It was a nice, contagious bronchial infection
which I kindly shared with many others. I knew I had a problem and did
not intentionally spread it. I was not self-policing since there was no
way I would stay in PA. After all, it was only a sore throat. Had I gone
to a doctor, I might have learned what it was, but I still would have
gone back to Maine.

The other problem is that, unfortunately, some commercial beekeepers are
not always good at identifying problems. They (and this has happened to
inspectors, some of whom are less experienced that the ones they are
inspecting) might miss a problem completely, or see one when it is
something completely different.

We have a host of migratory beekeepers here in Maine that both come from
the South to pollinate as well as those who summer here and winter in
FL. They rely on Tony Jadczak to give them an accurate assessment of the
condition of their colonies, and he does. I have been privileged to go
with him on inspections of out-of-state pollinators as well as in-state
commercial operations and hobby beekeepers. The level of competence of
beekeepers runs the gamut of totally clueless to informed, but even the
informed learn from him. One reason is, he has seen it all and can
identify a problem quickly. Most of the rest of us see the same problems
infrequently.

I am looked at by other beekeepers as an "expert" but when I am with
Tony, I realize that I am a rank amateur. I can look at a frame of bees
and see a couple of things while he will point out ten to me that, once
I see them, are obvious.

Based on the 'teaching lessons" he gives to commercial beekeepers, they
are in the same category. They want to do the right thing, but are not
up to the task.

Finally, the worst offender I have seen who spread disease and mites was
not from migratory beekeepers but a local beekeeper. Like Pogo said, "We
have met the enemy and he is us."

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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