Hello Yoon & All,

I think perhaps Yoon has directed this post to me as I believe I have the
most experience with the *current* U.S.Australian import of those on BEE--L
.

 I have received queens and followed many packages from the first import on
Browns Bees.( 400 packages).

Bell Hill Honey ( Missouri) ordered the first pallet once the border was
opened. We spoke directly with Aphis on several occasions to speed up the
process. If we had not I suspect the import would have had came a year
latter. Danny Weaver (ABF pres. at the time) was also involved I suspect.
 I have done five updates for the American Bee Journal and have traveled
many miles to look at Australian package bees for the last update. I speak
monthly with other beekeepers which run Australian bees. The largest runs
13,000 hives headed by Australian queens.
It is interesting that the Russian bee bee keepers have an association when
I believe there is a higher number of hives in the U.S. headed by Australian
queens. Those commercial beekeepers are also raising and breeding from the
Australian bees.
The Australian bees imported each spring are  used almost exclusively by the
commercial beekeeping industry. When The Russian bees are *from my knowledge
* mostly embraced by the hobby and sideline sector of beekeeping.

If a member of BEE-L wishes to dispute the above please show me the numbers
and I will recant what I have said as I can provide documentation of over
20,000 hives headed by Australian bees (Browns Bees Australia) from only
three commercial beekeepers and I know many commercial beekeepers use
Australian queens from the other large Australian queen producer Taylor Bees
sold by Danny Weaver.


The above I say not to sell bees or queens as I do not sell bees or queens.
I say only to point out that commercial beekeepers DO NOT embrace what does
not work.

Yoon questions:

>Under this current scenario, then, how do Australian and Hawaiian queens
>and their respective packages factor in, especially since they have not yet
>fully varroa-tested unlike other queens in the continent?

I can only speak for Browns Bees Australia & Kona queens (Gus Rouse). Both
handle varroa very well
but I suspect the Browns bees do a bit better. Treatments will not work with
either when the varroa load is over threshold. The Australian bee is not
affected by IAPV from my experience.
Our best bee researchers said when IAPV was suspected as involved with CCD
that we should ban *or* breed from the Australian bees. Hmmm.

>do these still require the military regiment of IPM?

Varroa treatment is SIMPLE. I repeat SIMPLE. What most of the speakers at
bee meetings failed to say is all you need do is knock varroa back. No
treatment today will completely solve varroa.

The military approach is not the answer.

Varroa control takes a commitment like say losing weight or quitting 
smoking.
Half a-- attempts to control varroa such as improperly applied or treating
hives over varroa are doomed to failure!

varroa control in number one. Even over honey production!

>hat benefit do they offer other than a quick replacement for the dead and
>dying bees here in America?

Half my bees are Australian hives. A bit testy at times and perhaps a bit
less prolific than my favorite U.S. Italian line but definitely a bee fit
for commercial beekeeping. A better bee than my recent Kona queens but I
have never had a poor batch of Kona queens.


>Yes, somebody has to make a living, too.)  All the papers seem to agree
>that any measurable resistance to varroa takes about fifteen (15) or more
>years.

It would take pages to answer the above and i am leaving town . Excellent
question but complicated.

>  For we are giving varroa unlimited opportunities, longer than necessary,
> to work out the kink and crack the code.

No clear solution other than treating for varroa when needed exists for the
commercial beekeeper today in my opinion. A better solution would be the
varroa trap being developed in Florida. Trap the blood suckers and toss in
the trash.

bob

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