Author Topic: Australian Bees banned from US (Read 11976 times)

cam · « **on:** September 24, 2010, 05:04:01 pm »

From Kim Flottum:

CATCH THE BUZZ
Australian Bees Supposedly Banned From U.S.
An Editorial:
The Almond Board today sent the message below to their handlers. We do not yet have confirmation from USDA APHIS and are awaiting official word. But if honey bee importation from Australia is halted, as we have felt it should be from the beginning, the push for bees from somewhere else will intensify. Mention has been made of bees from Mexico or from Canada. The negotiations and dealing to make either of those work will be interesting to watch.

If African bees from Mexico are allowed to come to the U.S., will they cause problems in orchards? Will they come as colonies and return, or as packages and simply stay here like the bees from OZ?

Would Canada allow U. S. bees to venture north, as honey producers, pollinators or simply as queens in return for the chance at California’s Gold? Would they bring colonies down early in the season…like next month…to overwinter in preparation for spring?

But would any of them actually want to come to Almond country and take the CCD gamble?
But the biggest question of all...Will there be enough U.S. bees next spring to meet the needs of the Almond Industry?

These scenarios bring out the good, the bad and the ugly side of all of this. Please stay tuned, the outcome will affect your beekeeping and honey packing business this season.

From The Almond Board to their Handlers:
We received a heads up that USDA’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will be halting the importation of all honey bees from Australia. The ban will take effect the date the Federal Register Notice appears, which should be in the next 2 weeks.

APHIS reconsidered the potential risk that imported Australian honey bees may pose of introducing new pests and diseases to honey bees in the U.S. Based on the continuing spread of a non-native bee (Apis cerana) in Australia and the uncertainties about what new viral diseases it may be spreading among bee populations in Australia, APHIS believes honey bee imports from Australia pose an unacceptable risk of introducing new diseases in the United States.

OzBuzz · « **Reply #1 on:** September 24, 2010, 07:31:03 pm »

Looks like us Aussies might finally be able to get some reasonably priced package bees!

FRAMEshift · « **Reply #2 on:** September 24, 2010, 08:52:47 pm »

Quote from: OzBuzz on September 24, 2010, 07:31:03 pm

Looks like us Aussies might finally be able to get some reasonably priced package bees!

I guess one country's propolis is another country's sweet honey.... or something. :-D

AllenF · « **Reply #3 on:** September 24, 2010, 08:53:12 pm »

http://www.apinews.com/en/news/item/11926-ee-uu-importaecos-de-abelhas-da-australia-pode-ser-proibidas/11926-ee-uu-importaecos-de-abelhas-da-australia-pode-ser-proibidas

May be a good thing. Life would be so easy with bees if we did not have the bugs that have been imported with them now.
I don't think you will get many Mexican bees in the Almonds and Canadian bees may be too far to truck in the winter. It will drive up bee prices here in the US.

hardwood · « **Reply #4 on:** September 24, 2010, 09:39:13 pm »

GOOD OL' AMERICAN BEES FOR SALE...just takes a PM :-D

Scott

bugleman · « **Reply #5 on:** September 25, 2010, 01:04:57 am »

I know bee bans can be illogical in hind site but why risk it? There is more than one pest that could come from the Aussies.

AllenF · « **Reply #6 on:** September 25, 2010, 09:02:25 am »

From anywhere.

Culley · « **Reply #7 on:** September 25, 2010, 09:04:14 am »

There's Apis cerana and Apis dorsata,

Curious - what else is percieved to be a threat from Aussie bee imports to the US?

Paynesgrey · « **Reply #8 on:** September 25, 2010, 09:17:22 am »

We could sure do without the pests.

AllenF · « **Reply #9 on:** September 25, 2010, 10:44:35 am »

It's the unknown. We do not know about the mites or the nosemas or the dang beetles or the Israel bee death virus or CCD or (the bird flu) or viruses and other bugs that affect the hive we have not found yet. Every couple of years there is something else that is making bee keeping more difficult. And most everything was brought in from over seas.

OzBuzz · « **Reply #10 on:** September 25, 2010, 05:57:47 pm »

Quote from: Cullz on September 25, 2010, 09:04:14 am

There's Apis cerana and Apis dorsata,

Curious - what else is percieved to be a threat from Aussie bee imports to the US?

Other than Apis cerana which is a risk to Oz beekeeping due to it being a carrier of mite (which australia doesn't yet have-but the US does) I dont know of any other conditions that Oz Beekeeping might have that would be a risk to the US market-coz you already have all the diseases we could possibly give you and then some...

hardwood · « **Reply #11 on:** September 25, 2010, 07:51:26 pm »

Well for one, the always hang up-side-down.

Scott

AllenF · « **Reply #12 on:** September 25, 2010, 09:15:16 pm »

They have VHB?

hardwood · « **Reply #13 on:** September 25, 2010, 09:53:55 pm »

:lau:

bee-nuts · « **Reply #14 on:** September 25, 2010, 11:15:25 pm »

Now if they would just ban imported honey, beeks might be able to turn a real profit.

Mardak · « **Reply #15 on:** September 26, 2010, 04:32:16 am »

Given the strength of the Australian dollar over the past few months and the immediate future I don't think that the typical US beekeeper is going to lose not being able to purchase packages. I would be more concerned about some the tainted honey being imported into countries from the those countries that do not monitor chemical loads and other additives or ignore honey export guidelines.

tecumseh · « **Reply #16 on:** September 26, 2010, 08:19:17 am »

with no australian bee in packages for the almond pollinating bee keepers to rely on expect first to see increased variable price variation in pollination rates followed by increase litigation for any pollinator that cannot perform exactly to what their contract specifies. after the lawyers have had their way expect to see a flurry of bankrupt beekeepers and lot of bee keeping equipment sold at discount prices to pay for the lawyers.

cam · « **Reply #17 on:** September 26, 2010, 09:27:22 am »

Quote from: tecumseh on September 26, 2010, 08:19:17 am

with no australian bee in packages for the almond pollinating bee keepers to rely on expect first to see increased variable price variation in pollination rates followed by increase litigation for any pollinator that cannot perform exactly to what their contract specifies. after the lawyers have had their way expect to see a flurry of bankrupt beekeepers and lot of bee keeping equipment sold at discount prices to pay for the lawyers.

Seems to me that if there aren't enough bees to pollinate the almonds that response by the almond growers would be to shoot themselves in the foot... they won't get many beeks to travel there if they are suing everyone they can.

buzzbee · « **Reply #18 on:** September 26, 2010, 09:47:05 am »

Quote from: AllenF on September 25, 2010, 10:44:35 am

It's the unknown. We do not know about the mites or the nosemas or the dang beetles or the Israel bee death virus or CCD or (the bird flu) or viruses and other bugs that affect the hive we have not found yet. Every couple of years there is something else that is making bee keeping more difficult. And most everything was brought in from over seas.

Including the honeybees themselves. :roll:

BjornBee · « **Reply #19 on:** September 26, 2010, 06:35:51 pm »

If I can't ship there, I don't want them here.... ;)

AllenF · « **Reply #20 on:** September 26, 2010, 06:45:34 pm »

Quote from: BjornBee on September 26, 2010, 06:35:51 pm

If I can't ship there, I don't want them here.... ;)

We need to have that law for all items, to all countries. It may help out the trade problems with Asia.

hardwood · « **Reply #21 on:** September 26, 2010, 09:51:44 pm »

Did I mention we have good ole American (ized) God fearin', apple pie lovin' bees for sale? :-D

Good attitude Bjorn!

Scott

Pete · « **Reply #22 on:** September 27, 2010, 10:22:10 am »

US animal import rules seem silly to me. On one hand you have people buying an unchecked amount of pythons (and other exotic pets) and releasing them into what is now an established wild feral population and on the other you dont want bees from what is widely thought to be one of the best pest free sources of euro bees on the planet.

We aren immune to stupid import rules. We have the only desease free atlantic salmon in the world and our stupid previous Gov removed restriction of live salmon import from places with known desease to get free trade agreements off the ground.

My point, lots of this stuff is often more political than sensible or scientific. :(

Mardak · « **Reply #23 on:** September 28, 2010, 12:04:39 am »

We do not have Varoa yet. I can appreciate why the Aussie quarantine laws are like they are. We have the same type of import bans between Western Australia and Victoria due to disease control.

bugleman · « **Reply #24 on:** October 24, 2010, 05:24:29 am »

The Aussies have pests gaining a foot hold that we do not want. We have imported enough pests already.

Mardak · « **Reply #25 on:** October 24, 2010, 05:32:03 am »

Given the value the US dollar and the AU dollar it would be much better for local US beeks to sell packages to each other rather than import from other countries. Good luck in the future. We are all as one on this earth. I do wish we find a cure for Varoa very soon.

AllenF · « **Reply #26 on:** October 24, 2010, 05:32:04 pm »

Ain't the US dollar and the AUS dollar about even now? (with our falling value)

bailey · « **Reply #27 on:** October 25, 2010, 06:12:17 pm »

looks my plans to start producing queens and nucs is right on time!!
i start making the wodenware at the end of the month!

bailey

OzBuzz · « **Reply #28 on:** October 26, 2010, 11:42:52 am »

Quote from: bugleman on October 24, 2010, 05:24:29 am

The Aussies have pests gaining a foot hold that we do not want. We have imported enough pests already.

Such as?

mathew · « **Reply #29 on:** October 26, 2010, 04:07:51 pm »

Quote from: bugleman on October 24, 2010, 05:24:29 am

The Aussies have pests gaining a foot hold that we do not want. We have imported enough pests already.

If you have ever been to Australia and go into the hives of friendly beekeepers, you will be relieved to see that they do not have varroa and other stinky pest like SHB that we have here in N. America. Australia has every right to be protective of their bees from N. American ones. I am relieved that there is a place on earth where bees don't have Varroa.

I told my beekeeper friend in Melbourne before going into his hive that I have a trained eye for Varroa and will check if his hives has any. He told me that if I found one mite, the media and all Aussie journalists will be flooding his apiary and it will be headline news in Australia. I wished I was in his situation about mites.

AllenF · « **Reply #30 on:** October 26, 2010, 05:05:12 pm »

They do have SHB down under.

BjornBee · « **Reply #31 on:** October 26, 2010, 05:35:09 pm »

The claim may be hard to prove, but the basis for comments are justified and true.

Fact is, very little until CCD came around was done in the sense of looking at viral and bacterial issues with bees. There was never funding ever close to seriously look at and discover all the possible disease factors that are potentially there.

I think anyone, in light of the many pests already spread around the world and detrimental to bees, who stands and even remotely suggests that further harm or spread of disease is not possible....is either very uneducated, or is very foolish.

I find it ironic that people from one country that bans the importation of honey bees, and suggests that importation into another country is seemingly without risk, would even suggest so. You can not guarantee that some unknown disease would not be spread. But I could show you many that have already been spread.

In every corner of agriculture where one plant, animal or insect has been flown across the oceans, disease and destruction of the native habitat follows.

I will applaud the day that bee imports are banned.

OzBuzz · « **Reply #32 on:** October 27, 2010, 12:54:44 am »

Quote from: AllenF on October 26, 2010, 05:05:12 pm

They do have SHB down under.

You don't have SHB in the USA?

AllenF · « **Reply #33 on:** October 27, 2010, 02:24:43 pm »

Just not ones that speak with an Aussie accent. :-D They might confuse our beetles.

tecumseh · « **Reply #34 on:** October 27, 2010, 09:59:16 pm »

uh huh... so there is a government program (and an implied subsidy via a reduction in supply) with which my conservative brethren can get behind. how refreshing. one might suspect since the same folks will benefit by this subsidy directly that the $$$ has somewhat altered their purest 'free market*' inclinations.

it is my understanding that 'the ban' is under consideration... so at this time nothing is really decided.

*I have absolutely no idea what the term means since the same folks will often tell you nothing in life is free.

AllenF · « **Reply #35 on:** October 27, 2010, 11:18:02 pm »

But ain't the potential Aussie ban because if Apis Cerana, and the problems with it?

BjornBee · « **Reply #36 on:** October 28, 2010, 07:25:08 am »

Quote from: AllenF on October 27, 2010, 11:18:02 pm

But ain't the potential Aussie ban because if Apis Cerana, and the problems with it?

That is, or may be, the one source justification. But the benefits will be many. The day we stop importing problems in from around the world, we all benefit. ;) Can you imagine beekeeping without v-mites, t-mites, SHB, and the other newly arrived disease. To bad we always start the process a few diseases too late.

AllenF · « **Reply #37 on:** October 28, 2010, 02:15:39 pm »

I heard on the radio that Georgia is now getting over run with some type of stink bug that is from south America. Maybe stop all imports? (Including oil to stop other problems?)

Mardak · « **Reply #38 on:** October 29, 2010, 09:55:46 pm »

Apis cerana is an absolute pill. Active monitoring and destruction may not get rid of this pest. The top end of QLD is doing its bit but there is still lots to do. Came into Australia through the mast of an Asian ship and was detested up there for quite a while. I am all for stopping both importation and export due to real threats for all beekeepers in all countries.

OzBuzz · « **Reply #39 on:** October 31, 2010, 01:33:00 pm »

Quote from: AllenF on October 27, 2010, 11:18:02 pm

But ain't the potential Aussie ban because if Apis Cerana, and the problems with it?

But the only problem, that i know of, with A. cerana is varroa - which you guys already have? We here in Australia don't have it yet

cam · « **Reply #40 on:** October 31, 2010, 03:08:52 pm »

The other problem is Tropilaelaps clareae, which is 10X worse than Varroa destructor.

TwT · « **Reply #41 on:** October 31, 2010, 06:40:33 pm »

Quote from: cam on October 31, 2010, 03:08:52 pm

The other problem is Tropilaelaps clareae, which is 10X worse than Varroa destructor.

Thats what i think i heard before, it travels on the asian bee that has been found Down under, correct me if im wrong!

OzBuzz · « **Reply #42 on:** November 01, 2010, 12:23:40 am »

Quote from: cam on October 31, 2010, 03:08:52 pm

The other problem is Tropilaelaps clareae, which is 10X worse than Varroa destructor.

If you've got varroa, whose host is A. cerana wouldn't it make sense you likely have T. clarea somewhere?

Mardak · « **Reply #43 on:** November 01, 2010, 05:08:52 am »

It is not the "Varoa Destructor" but another mite that carries other bee unfriendly organisms. Dr Denis Aderson has been doing research on this mite in New Guinea and the Varoa Destructor from overseas for quite a number of years. he would be on the Web somewhere in the CSIRO or Government organisation identified with biosecurity issues. There is a DVD called "Honeybee Blues" that was made last year that gives a real easy to understand veiw of varoa and the impliactions for all of us.