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No Aussie Bees For 09?

15K views 49 replies 25 participants last post by  KQ6AR 
#1 ·
Is it true they have stopped the imports of aussie bees due to a new pest they found? That should have an impact on available bees for almonds if its true.
Also hearing horror stories of large amounts of bees crashing already.
Anybody got any facts?
 
#6 · (Edited)
YES GUYS IT IS TRUE. I am back fresh from the California Almond baord meeting with beekeepers. And the news is AS OF RIGHT NOW NO AU BEES WILL BE ALLOWED IN THE STATES. This is because they found either n. cerena Virus or one of the other n. virus diseases. They are working hard to try to figure out what to do. Also Varoa was found. As well as a Apis cerana was found they think. They may be allowed on a quarenteen basis or on a special circumstance.


This was the news from From the top state bee people.


Angi
I will make a special post on the Ca Almond board meeting
 
#12 ·
Well as the one guy was going to say what they thought it was he was about to say it when the other apiarist guy sitting just down from me in the front row said dont say it yet. As it is not yet confirmed. So he went with a few of the other things that they knew they had found near Carnes Au. Which is A. Cernia and a few other things. BUt as of right now it is a no go but they had said they might lean toward a temporary permit to allow them with a quarenteen process. We will know more in the next few weeks as they work through things and make sure what they found and what they want to do and how will it effect pollination for the coming bloom.

Angi
 
#14 ·
Are Aussies locked out?

I have sent emails to two US/Australian packages suppliers and they sound very sure that they can fill a package order for almonds. Like I said in the other post. I never asked about a quarantine, just if they could supply bees. No hesitations, no excuses, just a straight foward yes!
Anyone else hear rock solid info of the Aussies being banned/locked out this year?
 
#15 ·
RE Canada , Matt Beekman

Why we are so slow and backwards up here in the north that all the bad stuff could be here already...... and the gov't boys wouldn't know it.,.......... till its too late
Could all this be weather related, see --- http://text.www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/forecast/city_e.html?mb-16&unit=m ,
for my current conditions , -36 celcuis with the windchill

Canadian Honey council meeting this month in Niagra Falls.... Councils accomplishments for the last 20 years could be counted on one hand . Can't see them banning Aussie pkg's. Bees are in short supply, even a movement underway to look for new sources of package bees.
Seems that some of these pro self suffient Canadian beekeepers suffered some higher than normal losses in the past and found out u can't have both, a honey crop and making up ur losses.
That US/Canadian border was closed 23 YEARS AGO cause some little gov't bureocat was in fear ( African bees ) and needed to cover his large But .This DECIMANTED the California producers and produced alot of hard feelings on both sides of the border towards Canadian GOV'T officals
 
#16 ·
Of corse the Au packeage business guys are going to tell you yes they can fill them. They will tell you yes till they get the final word in 2 or 3 weeks maybe a bit longer till they figure out what the heck is going on. What I dont understand is why in the heck would the US knowenly allow them to come in even under a special permit knowing what they are carrying that is just asking for new troubles on top of other troubles we already have. I would say keep them out at lease for this year till they are absoulutly sure they are not horboring anything that could desimate out business here. I have nothing against Au. I actually love au and would want to move and live there in the future.

Angi
 
#24 ·
Rather than just talking about the problem, why not write your congress men/women? If we just sit on our hands, and bite out tongues, we're going to get Tropilaelaps. I don't care what any gov't says. I don't care what APHIS says. I don't really care about almond growers. If we get that bug here, there won't be any almond pollination, honey production, BeeSource, or Bee-L.

It's gonna be all over folks.
 
#20 ·
I've gotten alot , maybe 1200 queens from there in the last 3 years, no better ,no worse than any others.
The email I got from B Weaver, said that as of last friday that Apis,and the Usda were considering closing the border soon, because of the Apis Cerana, found near Cairns, and the Ausie government not answering questions as to how they are handling the eradication effort, and seemed to be moved by anti import folks to end allowing shipment here.
 
#22 ·
Hey Magnet-man I know this is off topic hey can you send me a pm. I had a wuestion about your bee suites /jackets. I saw one of your jackets when I met with Gregg Stewart when he was working his bees out here in Ca. And I think that it was fantastic especially in our hot 110+summers and doing cutouts removals. Please shoot me a pm or email me HHH_Farms@wildblue.net

Angi
 
#25 ·
Aussie pacs

I believe that Canada did not allow Australian packages in 2008 on account of the SHB. Most packages come from the Queensland area, close to Sydney (international airport). This area has plenty of SHB. Canada on the other hand does not have too many SHB and wants to keep it that way.There had been some talk about getting packages out of western Australia which is apparently free of SHB. I'm not 100% sure if this plan worked out or not.

Jean-Marc
 
#26 ·
I believe that Canada did not allow Australian packages in 2008 on account of the SHB.
Its hard to imagine that shb would ever be a problem in Canada. As a creature of the tropics their ability to survive a Candian winter or even reproduce successfully in the summer just doesn't seem likely.
Leave it to the bureaucrats.......
 
#31 ·
Still no ruling from USDA. I was told today that "technically" the border is still open until the ruling. No shipments have been made though, being that if the USDA rules to block shipments those delivered or in transit would be destoyed! Know more possibly Friday.
 
#34 ·
>>I was told that some in favor of opening the borders on the Canadian Honey Council welcome these news as an extra arguement to have it open.


I really doubt that,


I havent heard of this as of yet, perhaps I have missed this in the beekeeping news. Do you have a link to a publication referencing this? Anything that I have read doesnt mention anything about the beetles reproducing over two years,
 
#35 · (Edited)
>>I havent heard of this as of yet, perhaps I have missed this in the beekeeping news. Do you have a link to a publication referencing this? Anything that I have read doesnt mention anything about the beetles reproducing over two years,
It's in french... second pdf file
http://www.agrireseau.qc.ca/apiculture/default.aspx

Those who have checked out the apiaries at the end of summer believe that it was here since at least two years. They have come to that conclusion because, the SHB had a complete cycle, which means the SHB larvae went into the soil and reproduced itself. This is the explanation I was told last november during our beekeeping meeting. How do they know this, I don't know! I'm not an expert...

You can doubt what ever you want... Those who are for border opening will use it as an argument. Why wouldn't they?
 
#36 ·
Mike palmer brought up Tropilaelaps this mite alone should be reason to close the border.

"The life cycle and parasitism of A. mellifera by Tropilaelaps is similar to that of Varroa destructor
although there are slight differences. Tropilaelaps has a higher reproductive rate than varroa as it
has a shorter life cycle. This is because they have a faster development time and a shorter phoretic
phase (non-reproductive transport phase, time spent on the adult bees) between reproductive
cycles. Consequently, when both types of mite are present in the same colony Tropilaelaps
populations build up far more rapidly than varroa, by a factor of 25:1 in favour of Tropilaelaps.
I got this from here
www.defra.gov.uk/hort/Bees/pdf/trop.pdf

makes for scary reading
 
#39 ·
Consequently, when both types of mite are present in the same colony Tropilaelaps
populations build up far more rapidly than varroa, by a factor of 25:1 in favour of Tropilaelaps.
I got this from here
www.defra.gov.uk/hort/Bees/pdf/trop.pdf

makes for scary reading
Diana Sammataro, in a talk on mites of the world, said that where both mites are present, Tropilaelaps would control the Varroa population. Further, that Tropilaelaps can't survive in colonies without brood. Now, I keep bees in the north, and our bees have a broodless period each winter. And, we need help controlling our varroa. So......?
 
#37 ·
While officially there are no varroa or Tropilaelaps mites in Australia, one has to wonder how hard are they looking? What kind of testing is being done in the package producers yards to detect low levels? Anything less than a 24 hour forced drop onto sticky boards would be inadequate,in my opinion.
I also find it suspicious that no mites were found in any of the Apis cerana exterminated so far. If we ever get this mite in the USA you can just bet it will be from Australian bees.
 
#38 ·
>>http://www.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=single_report&pop=1&reportid=7393

"The particularity of this event is the detection of specimens of adults and of larvae of Aethina tumida. This suggests, for the first time in Canada, that the reproductive cycle has been completed. "
-Information received on 07/10/2008 from Dr Brian Evans, Chief Veterinary Officer, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

This is interesting, now we have beetles that have completed the whole cycle. It will be interesting to see how well they are able to establish thier population trying to survive in a unfavourable breeding climate. Perhaps the populations will die off with the deaths of the wintering hives, unless they are able to sustain thier growth and development

>>You can doubt what ever you want.

My doubt is that they are making that kind of a comment on record, or are they? If they are, they might want to watch what
 
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