REGARDING RE>America's honeybees Walter Patton writes: "The big question is why H Shimunaki U.S.D.A. did not mention the hopeless situation facing U. S. beekeepers when their bees have mites and viruses which may be being introduced to the U.S. beekeepers from Canadian Bees entering the U.S. after being imported and thus introducing and spreading honeybee pest and diseases with total disregard for the intent of the Honey Bee Act of 1922 which had a strict prohibition against the import of honeybees to the U.S. for the specic verbadium purpose to "prevent the introduction and spread of pests and diseases to U.S. honeybees." H. Shimunaki since his paid consultancy and paid 6 or 8 week vacation for he and his wife to New Zealand has had no concern for New Zealand bees being allowed into the U.S. via Canada without regard for the original intent of the Honeybee Act of 1922. Further H. Shimunaki allowed for a Federal Registry notification to be published stating that the U.S.D.A., Secretary of Agriculture had found New Zealand to be free of any pests and diseases of honeybees, a fraudulent statement, WHY? Beekeepers of America need new leadership at the U.S.D.A. with peer review to solve the problems with honeybees in the United States of America." I have hesitated up till now to enter this fray, but I can't help it any longer. Except from Mr. Patton, I have never heard that there was any disease or mite problem with New Zealand bees. Just the contrary - Canadian beekeepers have been prohibited (until now at least) from importing American bees because of *our* mite problem, and have had to get them all the way from New Zealand or raise the bees themselves (a better approach anyway). Why does Mr. Patton claim that Dr. Shimunaki's statement about New Zealand bees is fraudulent? Let's have some hard *facts* about this, or otherwise drop the subject. Ted Fischer