In article <[log in to unmask]>, Tony Dixon <[log in to unmask]> writes <snip> > Vancouver Island was embargoed for honey bees >because the Island was mite free and it was believed that by stopping the >movement of bees and bee equipment onto the Island it could stay that way. >This last year Varroa has made it here, probably on a vehicle or in freight. >I hope not because of a thoughtless beekeeper. <snip> >Despite all counter measures our Governments can devise, and in this case a >20 mile water barrier, mites still spread. This sounds very much like the attempts at keeping varroa out of the UK. The last I heard, it had spread all the way up to Scotland. When will governments learn that such schemes can only be relied upon as a delaying mechanism at best? -- Paul Walton Bedfordshire, England [log in to unmask]