Hello All,
Package bee sellers in the U.S. have spread mites, SHb and many other
beekeeping problems far greater than the migratory beekeeper ever did (in my
opinion) but blaming the migratory beekeeper kept the heat off the package
seller .

The package bee seller knew the migratory beekeeper could care less about
public opinion and  would not rebuke the blame.

This year the problem of packages infested with varroa has been so bad that
many package buyers had their hives so infested by fall the hives were over
threshold. Every SHb find in Missouri has been traced back to packages  from
a package seller.

Our U.S. queen and package sellers can easily supply the U.S. needs.

 Why import future problems? Let us keep our borders shut and hope the
package sellers( NOT ALL ) in the U.S. which are shipping packages around
the country with high loads of varroa and shb read my post and *hear* from
each beekeeper which received  SHb or a package with a high varroa load.

A package from a  hive which has a low varroa load should not reach
threshold in August! Many commercial beekeepers have never bought a mite
strip. They simply bought packages and depopulated the hives in the fall.
Lately they are  finding their hives over threshold before the end of the
season. The reason is the packages  are heavily varroa infested when
installed.

 If we cannot keep packages coming out of the south with SHB and high varroa
loads how are we to keep new beekeeping problems from coming in from outside
our borders. Especially when those breeders are on the honor system?

Bob