Liz:
The answer is as stated.  The issue of cold hardiness has been hotly
argued between two groups of U.S. researchers.  Since there seems to be a
cutoff line in S. American, one group holds that AHBs won't make it in
the north.  The other argues you can find them at high elevation doing fine.
 
Lots of work drawing the line, little work on the possible
mechanisms/factors behind the supposed existence of the line.
 
Frankly, in the U.S. the migratory beekeeping practices will spread AHB
as quickly as mites.  Sometimes by accident, and possibly by intent.
 
Bill Wilson  identified something in our part of the world that he called
Disappearing Disease and attributed to a genetic defect some years ago.
 
According to the Wilson model, it might be possible that AHB will beat it
out the door when it gets cold and freeze off on some fence post, but I
am skeptical.
 
I hope AHB is not cold resistant.  If that proves to be the case, I know
several Montana beekeepers that may go into a new business - "Overwinter
your hives in Montana and purge them of AHB".
 
I assume the same would hold for Chicago or any other of the inland
Northern Tier States.
 
Cheers
 
Jerry Bromenshenk
 
On Mon, 14 Feb 1994, La Reine de la Cite' des Phoques (Liz Day) wrote:
 
> so the answer is , we don't know how far they will go?
> ?
> Liz Day
>
> University of Illinois at Chicago
> [log in to unmask]
>