From SYSAM@UACSC2.ALBANY.EDUMon May 22 06:42:52 1995 Date: Mon, 22 May 95 08:34:31 EDT From: Aaron Morris To: dicka@cuug.ab.ca ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 1 Feb 90 10:34:47 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Stewart Wilson Subject: SAB90 Call for Papers Dear colleagues, Dr. Meyer and I would be very grateful if you would again distribute the following call for papers on your email list. It was distributed a month ago--this is for readers who may have missed it then. Thank you. Sincerely, Stewart Wilson ============================================================================== ============================================================================== Call for Papers SIMULATION OF ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR: FROM ANIMALS TO ANIMATS An International Conference to be held in Paris September 24-28, 1990 The object of the conference is to bring together researchers in ethology, ecology, cybernetics, artificial intelligence, robotics, and related fields so as to further our understanding of the behaviors and underlying mechanisms that allow animals and, potentially, robots to adapt and survive in uncertain environments. The conference will focus particularly on simulation models in order to help characterize and compare various organizational principles or architectures capable of inducing adaptive behavior in real or artificial animals. Contact among scientists from diverse disciplines should contribute to better appreciation of each other's approaches and vocabularies, to cross-fertilization of fundamental and applied research, and to defining objectives, constraints, and challenges for future work. Contributions treating any of the following topics from the perspective of adaptive behavior will receive special emphasis. Individual and collective behaviors Autonomous robots Action selection and behavioral Hierarchical and parallel organizations sequences Self organization of behavioral Conditioning, learning and induction modules Neural correlates of behavior Problem solving and planning Perception and motor control Goal directed behavior Motivation and emotion Neural networks and classifier Behavioral ontogeny systems Cognitive maps and internal Emergent structures and behaviors world models Authors are requested to send two copies (hard copy only) of a full paper to each of the Conference chairmen: Jean-Arcady MEYER Stewart WILSON Groupe de Bioinformatique The Rowland Institute for Science URA686.Ecole Normale Superieure 100 Cambridge Parkway 46 rue d'Ulm Cambridge, MA 02142 75230 Paris Cedex 05 USA France e-mail: meyer%FRULM63.bitnet@ e-mail: wilson@think.com cunyvm.cuny.edu A brief preliminary letter to one chairman indicating the intention to participate--with the tentative title of the intended paper and a list of the topics addressed--would be appreciated for planning purposes. For conference information, please also contact one of the chairmen. Conference committee: Conference Chair J.A. Meyer, S. Wilson Organizing Committee Groupe de BioInformatique.ENS.France. and local arrangements A. Guillot, J.A. Meyer, P. Tarroux, P. Vincens Program Committee L. Booker, USA R. Brooks, USA P. Colgan, Canada P. Greussay, France D. McFarland, UK L. Steels, Belgium R. Sutton, USA F. Toates, UK D. Waltz, USA Official Language: English Important Dates 31 May 90 Submissions must be received by the chairmen 30 June 90 Notification of acceptance or rejection 31 August 90 Camera ready revised versions due 24-28 September 90 Conference dates =============================================================================== =============================================================================== ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 2 Feb 90 08:31:35 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: COURANT@FRINRA72.BITNET Subject: bee literature Contents of Apidologie, 1989, 20, no 5 (Special issue: Genetics) 1) KUHNERT M.E., CARRICK M.J., ALLAN L.F. Use of homogenized drone semen in a bee breeding program in Western Australia pp. 371-381 Institut fur Bienenkunde, Karl von Frisch Weg 2 6370 Oberursel (FRG) 2) MORITZ R.F.A., HILLESHEIM E. Genotypic variance and hoarding behaviour in honeybees pp. 383-390 Bayerische Landesanstalt fur Bienenzucht, Burgbergstr. 70 8520 Erlangen (FRG) 3) KOENIGER N., HEMMLING C., YOSHIDA T. Drones as sons of drones in Apis mellifera pp. 391-394 Institut fur Bienenkunde, Karl von Frisch Weg 2 6370 Oberursel (FRG) 4) RUTTNER F., KAUHAUSEN F., KOENIGER N. Position of the red honey bee Apis koschevnikovi (Buttel-Reepen, 1906) within th e genus Apis pp. 395-404 Institut fur Bienenkunde, Karl von Frisch Weg 2 6370 Oberursel (FRG) 5) RINDERER T.E., KOENIGER N., TINGEK S., MARDAN M., KOENIGER G. A morphological comparison of the cavity dwelling honeybees of Borneo Apis kosch evnikovi and Apis cerana pp. 405-411 USDA, ARS, Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Lab. 1157 Ben Hur Road Baton Rouge LA 70820 (USA) 6) KOENIGER N., KOENIGER G., WONGSIRI S. Mating and sperm transfer in Apis florea pp. 413-418 Chulalongkorn univ., Fac. Science, Dep. Biology Bee Biology Research Unit Bangkok 10500 (Thailand) 7) SHEPPARD W.S., BERLOCHER S.H. Allozyme variation and differentiation among four Apis species pp. 419-431 USDA-ARS, Beneficial Insects Lab. Beltsville MD 20705 (USA) 8) ROTHENBUHLER W.C., PAGE R.E.Jr. Genetic variability for temporal polyethism in colonies consisting of similarly- aged worker honey bees pp. 433-437 Ohio State Univ., Dep. Entomology , 1735 Neil Ave. Columbus OH 43210 (USA) 9) BIENEFELD K., REINHARDT F., PIRCHNER F. Inbreeding effects of queen and workers on colony traits in the honey bee pp. 439-450 Lehrstuhl fur Tierzucht, Technische Universitat Munchen 8050 Freising-Weihenstephan (FRG) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 2 Feb 90 11:05:47 CST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: ENTM3444@UMCVMB.BITNET Subject: bees, bees and bees HI there ! Dear Dr. Kevan, Long time no see and hear ! Just finished reading a lot of your messages i n the old logs of the bee-l. How is everybody in Guelph ? and how are your bees ? (yes, honey bees, squash bees, gourd bees, or whatever bees).. I have been fiddling with mites and really miss the fun of bees. Say hi to all Guelphies. zhiyong. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 5 Feb 90 15:24:00 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: MTS@IFASGNV.BITNET Subject: JANUARY ISSUE OF APIS--PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT FILENAME: JANAPIS.90 Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter Volume 8, Number 1, January 1990 Planning for the African Bee's Arrival There have been several meetings over the last year to develop a Florida African Bee Plan. Although for Florida the invasion is some years away, the bees are projected to cross the Texas border in 1990. This is fortunate for Florida because there will be time before the invasion gets here to fine tune any plan that might be developed. Nevertheless, this is the time to begin consideration in earnest of how beekeepers, educators and regulators will confront the inevitable arrival of the African bee. At the Federal level, an action plan already exists. This was published by USDA APHIS in the past and continues to be in force. However, there remains a fundamental problem as pointed out by Mr. Binford Weaver at the American Beekeeping Federation meeting recently in Las Vegas. The APHIS action plan was conceived when spot introductions were considered major problems and the industry was concerned about introduction of the Varroa bee mite along with the African bee. Sporadic introductions, usually by ship along the U.S. coasts, are still being handled by APHIS according to the plan. Texas, Mr. Weaver's state, however, is now faced with a full frontal invasion of swarms along its substantial border with Mexico. And the Varroa bee mite has already gained a foothold in the United States. In spite of these facts, much of the Texas African Bee Plan is still based on what Mr. Weaver and others see as an outdated APHIS document. APHIS' response to Mr. Weaver's question at the convention, by Mr. Chuck Bare, was that no plan now exists for a frontal invasion, nor is one likely to be quickly prepared. Within this context, it must be remembered that APHIS' role is only to prevent introduction of pests and to exterminate incipient outbreaks. The classic case of this over the last two decades has been eradication of the Mediterranean fruit fly in both California and Florida using widespread application of baited sprays. Numerous infestations have indeed been wiped out. However, after detection of both tracheal and Varroa mites, APHIS was forced to abandon efforts to eradicate these pests and gave subsequent regulatory responsibility to the states. The practical result has been and continues to be a hodgepodge of rules and regulations concerning bee movement. The question many are asking is what role APHIS will take when the bee crosses the Texas border. APHIS' role will affect any plans made. However, most persons in Florida are expecting this bureaucracy to quickly wash its hands of the issue when it becomes apparent the African bee has been established on U.S. soil. This will leave the states again with the final burden of authority and responsibility in regulating beekeepers. Because Florida will be more affected than most states, the regulatory authority, Division of Plant Industry (DPI), Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS), has been requested by its advisory body, the Honey Bee Technical Council, to develop a plan. Originally, the Council's idea was to simply make the population of Florida aware of the bee and its potential effects. Since then, research, training and regulatory issues have been added. Deliberations by a number of persons culminated in the development of a proposal for increased funding to go to both DPI and the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences (IFAS). This awareness plan was put before the legislative House Agriculture Committee in October last year. Part of the presentation was an in-house video tape entitled, "Africanized Bee Awareness." At a subsequent meeting of the Technical Council, Mr. C.A. Ballard and the Sarasota Area Beekeepers donated enough tapes to provide a copy for each of Florida's 67 county Cooperative Extension offices. They were mailed out in November last year. Ms. Phyllis Habeck of DPI also approached Dr. James Andersons's public relations class at the University of Florida for assistance. The result of those efforts is a voluminous document filled with ideas including a proposed timetable of action which the class called "Plan B." Based on the ideas published in Plan B and others, a proposal for the Florida plan was presented to the Africanized Honey Bee Task Force in December. It consisted of four directions or thrusts, listed major goals and persons in charge and suggested a yearly budget. The time of the plan is for five years; its breakdown is as follows: 1. Public awareness under direction of Ms. Phyllis Habeck, DPI, with a budget of $50,000 per year. Major directions are to let the public know directly and through other state agencies about the bee. Specific audiences are governmental offices (cities and counties), tourist bureaus, civic groups and schools. 2. Research under direction of Dr. Glenn Hall, IFAS, with a budget of $134,000 per year. Major emphases are to study methods of identification and stock certification and the process of genetic interactions. This program is also expected to establish baseline information and study the bees' dispersal patterns. Finally, it will consult and collaborate with the USDA laboratories concerning managing both feral and domesticated bee populations. 3. Training under direction of Dr. Tom Sanford, IFAS, with a budget of $50,000 per year. Major emphases are training beekeepers, other agriculturalists, pest control operators, bee inspectors and the scientific community. Specific topics to be addressed include locating and eliminating feral colonies by pest control operators, fire departments and police agencies; educating employees of agricultural enterprises about potential problems of more bees in their work environment; and training beekeepers in stock management. 4. Regulatory under direction of Mr. Laurence Cutts, State Apiarist, DPI, with a budget of $355,000 per year. This amount is over and above the current budget of the Apiary bureau which is about $350,000 per year. Major thrusts are to implement regulations on the beekeeping community. Specific areas are stock beekeeper registration, certification, movement regulation and providing information to other agencies which might aid in this effort, such as fire and forestry departments. There will be a training component here as well for bee inspectors, beekeepers, law enforcement agencies and others. It is not known at this time what the next step might be in order to implement the proposed plan. However, it is proposed to approach the Florida Senate Agriculture Committe or perhaps a joint session of House and Senate Ag Committees about increased funding sometime this legislative session . That, of course, is where the beekeeper as ordinary citizen comes in. In a state that is short on resources, a total annual budget approaching $600,000 is not inconsiderable. It will require support by the beekeeping community and public at large, if any part of these funds are to be approved. The position of some persons on both the Africanized Honey Bee Task Force and Honey Bee Technical Council is that probably some increased funding will be forthcoming, but not the full amount requested. This will require further hard decisions on where scarce funds should go to best address problems faced by the general public or the beekeeping industry with the arrival of the bee. All this brings to mind the writing of Dr. Elbert Jaycox, retired from the Illinois Cooperative Extension Service, who said in the January, 1990 issue of Gleanings in Bee Culture: "There is no lack of candidates for leadership or of ideas about how we will deal with the African bees when they cross our southern border, perhaps this year. We will poison them, exclude them, outbreed them, and trap them, if you believe the proposals that have been presented. Yet how can you have faith that we will exert any effect on the invasion when you look at the two previous debacles in handling the advent of two other serious pests (tracheal and Varroa mites) in the United States? The biggest effects fell on beekeepers, putting many out of business and still damaging others by regulations and enforcement established on a false base-- that you can detect mites and save money by taking small samples of bees for diagnosis." "We have equally fallacious ideas about how we will deal with African bees. They are fallacious because they are based on the idea that we will be able to spend large sums of money on control measures and regulatory action designed to maintain European honey bee stock in areas suitable for African bees. These include certifying and inspecting for European queens and destroying hundreds of thousands of colonies. I can only offer a simple prediction: we will not find the sums needed and we will not prevent the widespread distribution of African bees and their hybrids in the U.S. It is also easy to predict that these things will come true in spite of many controversial and damaging programs (to beekeepers) instituted by state and federal organizations. They will be so busy trying to put the clamps on bees and beekeepers that we will get little help in a breeding program to give us productive strains with African blood and resistance to Varroa mites yet docile enough to keep beekeepers in the pollinating business. All of us are greatly concerned about the actions that may be taken when the Africans arrive. Also it is easy to put blame on regulatory agencies for programs that do not work. Yet, in most cases, it is the beekeepers' reactions, especially those of non-commercial operators, that are responsible for the laws and regulations put into force and then, later, withdrawn as unworkable. Before you decide to support some of the schemes being proposed to keep your area, or all of the United States, free of African bees in the '90s, consider whether they are based on reality, including the heavy expenditure of funds for many years." Although some of Dr. Jaycox's ideas are debatable and controversial, his final message cannot be ignored. Beekeepers' and other citizens' tax money will be allocated on plans to deal with the African honey bee. It will be up to everyone concerned to make a determination about how much and how wisely these funds will be spent. The Florida African Bee Plan is no exception. Please communicate your thoughts to your legislators directly or through members of the Agriculture Commissioner's Africanized Honey Bee Task Force or Honey Bee Technical Council. Those interested in being added to the mailing list about future meetings on this issue should contact Mr. Laurence Cutts (address below). Honey Bee Technical Council: Laurence Cutts, Chief Apiarist, Division of Plant Industry, P.O. Box 1269, Gainesville, FL 32602, ph 904/372-3505, ext. 128. Bill Merritt, Star Route 1, Box 1080, Tallahassee, FL 32304, ph 904/962-9051. Bill Shearman, P.O. Box 999, Wimauma, FL 33598, ph 813/634-5958. Gary Hartland, P.O. Box 431, Lake Wales, FL 33853, ph 813/676-2276. Horace Bell, 1058 S. Ridgewood Ave, DeLand, FL 32720, ph 904/734-7798. Lawrence O'Ferrell, P.O. Box 221, LaBelle, FL 33935, ph 813/675-0727. Dr. M.T. Sanford, 0312 IFAS, Gainesville, FL 32601-0312, ph 904/392-1801. Africanized Honey Bee Task Force: L. Cutts and Dr.T. Sanford as noted above. B.J. Lewis, USDA-APHIS, 3505 25th Ave., Bldg 1 North, Gulfport, MS, ph 601/863-1813 Dr. David Carlson, USDA-ARS, P.O. Box 14565, Gainesville, FL 32602, ph 904/374-5929. Dr. Ralph Wilhelm, Veterinarian, 2959 Fruitville Rd., Sarasota, FL 33580, ph 813/955-0136. Dr. Glenn Hall, 0711 IFAS, Gainesville, FL 32611-0711, ph 904/377-0710. Dr. Lionel Stange, Division of Plant Industry, P.O. Box 1269, Gainesville, FL 32602, ph 904/372-3505, ext. 126. Don Harris, Chief, Bureau Methods Development, DPI, P.O. Box 1269, Gainesville, FL 32602, ph 904/372-3505 ext 105. Conrad Cramer, President, Florida State Beekeepers Assn., P.O. Box 585, Sharps, FL 32595, ph 407/636-1408. Dr. John Mulrennan, Jr., HRS Division of Health, Office of Entomology, P.O. Box 210, Jacksonville, FL 322321, ph 904/359-6650, ext. 3223. A GLIMPSE OF FLORIDA BEEKEEPING This announces availability of a new video production, "A Glimpse of Florida Beekeeping." The purpose of this video (16 minutes, color) is to communicate to the general public what Florida beekeeping is all about and describe some of the issues facing the industry today. It was produced so that beekeepers could have a visual aid to take to meetings or display at fairs and other public gatherings. The video will be available to county Cooperative Extension Offices through the IFAS Audio Visual Library here in Gainesville. It is not copyrighted and so can be copied at will. Be advised, however, that for each copy made, there will be some loss of quality. It is available as VT-297 on VHS 1/2 inch format. The other video mentioned above, "Africanized Bee Awareness," should also be present in all county offices. It will soon be available through the audiovisual library and also carries no copyright. BUMBLE BEE FOOD I have had a request from a colleague for 50 lbs. of frozen pollen to be used as bumble bee food in a research project. If you can help, please get in touch with me. Sincerely, Malcolm T. Sanford 0312 IFAS 202 Newell Hall University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611-0312 Phone (904) 392-1801 BITNET Address: MTS@IFASGNV INTERNET Address: MTS@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 5 Feb 90 15:29:00 EDT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: MTS@IFASGNV.BITNET Subject: JANUARY APIS--PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT FILENAME: JANAPIS.90 Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter Volume 8, Number 1, January 1990 Planning for the African Bee's Arrival There have been several meetings over the last year to develop a Florida African Bee Plan. Although for Florida the invasion is some years away, the bees are projected to cross the Texas border in 1990. This is fortunate for Florida because there will be time before the invasion gets here to fine tune any plan that might be developed. Nevertheless, this is the time to begin consideration in earnest of how beekeepers, educators and regulators will confront the inevitable arrival of the African bee. At the Federal level, an action plan already exists. This was published by USDA APHIS in the past and continues to be in force. However, there remains a fundamental problem as pointed out by Mr. Binford Weaver at the American Beekeeping Federation meeting recently in Las Vegas. The APHIS action plan was conceived when spot introductions were considered major problems and the industry was concerned about introduction of the Varroa bee mite along with the African bee. Sporadic introductions, usually by ship along the U.S. coasts, are still being handled by APHIS according to the plan. Texas, Mr. Weaver's state, however, is now faced with a full frontal invasion of swarms along its substantial border with Mexico. And the Varroa bee mite has already gained a foothold in the United States. In spite of these facts, much of the Texas African Bee Plan is still based on what Mr. Weaver and others see as an outdated APHIS document. APHIS' response to Mr. Weaver's question at the convention, by Mr. Chuck Bare, was that no plan now exists for a frontal invasion, nor is one likely to be quickly prepared. Within this context, it must be remembered that APHIS' role is only to prevent introduction of pests and to exterminate incipient outbreaks. The classic case of this over the last two decades has been eradication of the Mediterranean fruit fly in both California and Florida using widespread application of baited sprays. Numerous infestations have indeed been wiped out. However, after detection of both tracheal and Varroa mites, APHIS was forced to abandon efforts to eradicate these pests and gave subsequent regulatory responsibility to the states. The practical result has been and continues to be a hodgepodge of rules and regulations concerning bee movement. The question many are asking is what role APHIS will take when the bee crosses the Texas border. APHIS' role will affect any plans made. However, most persons in Florida are expecting this bureaucracy to quickly wash its hands of the issue when it becomes apparent the African bee has been established on U.S. soil. This will leave the states again with the final burden of authority and responsibility in regulating beekeepers. Because Florida will be more affected than most states, the regulatory authority, Division of Plant Industry (DPI), Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS), has been requested by its advisory body, the Honey Bee Technical Council, to develop a plan. Originally, the Council's idea was to simply make the population of Florida aware of the bee and its potential effects. Since then, research, training and regulatory issues have been added. Deliberations by a number of persons culminated in the development of a proposal for increased funding to go to both DPI and the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences (IFAS). This awareness plan was put before the legislative House Agriculture Committee in October last year. Part of the presentation was an in-house video tape entitled, "Africanized Bee Awareness." At a subsequent meeting of the Technical Council, Mr. C.A. Ballard and the Sarasota Area Beekeepers donated enough tapes to provide a copy for each of Florida's 67 county Cooperative Extension offices. They were mailed out in November last year. Ms. Phyllis Habeck of DPI also approached Dr. James Andersons's public relations class at the University of Florida for assistance. The result of those efforts is a voluminous document filled with ideas including a proposed timetable of action which the class called "Plan B." Based on the ideas published in Plan B and others, a proposal for the Florida plan was presented to the Africanized Honey Bee Task Force in December. It consisted of four directions or thrusts, listed major goals and persons in charge and suggested a yearly budget. The time of the plan is for five years; its breakdown is as follows: 1. Public awareness under direction of Ms. Phyllis Habeck, DPI, with a budget of $50,000 per year. Major directions are to let the public know directly and through other state agencies about the bee. Specific audiences are governmental offices (cities and counties), tourist bureaus, civic groups and schools. 2. Research under direction of Dr. Glenn Hall, IFAS, with a budget of $134,000 per year. Major emphases are to study methods of identification and stock certification and the process of genetic interactions. This program is also expected to establish baseline information and study the bees' dispersal patterns. Finally, it will consult and collaborate with the USDA laboratories concerning managing both feral and domesticated bee populations. 3. Training under direction of Dr. Tom Sanford, IFAS, with a budget of $50,000 per year. Major emphases are training beekeepers, other agriculturalists, pest control operators, bee inspectors and the scientific community. Specific topics to be addressed include locating and eliminating feral colonies by pest control operators, fire departments and police agencies; educating employees of agricultural enterprises about potential problems of more bees in their work environment; and training beekeepers in stock management. 4. Regulatory under direction of Mr. Laurence Cutts, State Apiarist, DPI, with a budget of $355,000 per year. This amount is over and above the current budget of the Apiary bureau which is about $350,000 per year. Major thrusts are to implement regulations on the beekeeping community. Specific areas are stock beekeeper registration, certification, movement regulation and providing information to other agencies which might aid in this effort, such as fire and forestry departments. There will be a training component here as well for bee inspectors, beekeepers, law enforcement agencies and others. It is not known at this time what the next step might be in order to implement the proposed plan. However, it is proposed to approach the Florida Senate Agriculture Committe or perhaps a joint session of House and Senate Ag Committees about increased funding sometime this legislative session . That, of course, is where the beekeeper as ordinary citizen comes in. In a state that is short on resources, a total annual budget approaching $600,000 is not inconsiderable. It will require support by the beekeeping community and public at large, if any part of these funds are to be approved. The position of some persons on both the Africanized Honey Bee Task Force and Honey Bee Technical Council is that probably some increased funding will be forthcoming, but not the full amount requested. This will require further hard decisions on where scarce funds should go to best address problems faced by the general public or the beekeeping industry with the arrival of the bee. All this brings to mind the writing of Dr. Elbert Jaycox, retired from the Illinois Cooperative Extension Service, who said in the January, 1990 issue of Gleanings in Bee Culture: "There is no lack of candidates for leadership or of ideas about how we will deal with the African bees when they cross our southern border, perhaps this year. We will poison them, exclude them, outbreed them, and trap them, if you believe the proposals that have been presented. Yet how can you have faith that we will exert any effect on the invasion when you look at the two previous debacles in handling the advent of two other serious pests (tracheal and Varroa mites) in the United States? The biggest effects fell on beekeepers, putting many out of business and still damaging others by regulations and enforcement established on a false base-- that you can detect mites and save money by taking small samples of bees for diagnosis." "We have equally fallacious ideas about how we will deal with African bees. They are fallacious because they are based on the idea that we will be able to spend large sums of money on control measures and regulatory action designed to maintain European honey bee stock in areas suitable for African bees. These include certifying and inspecting for European queens and destroying hundreds of thousands of colonies. I can only offer a simple prediction: we will not find the sums needed and we will not prevent the widespread distribution of African bees and their hybrids in the U.S. It is also easy to predict that these things will come true in spite of many controversial and damaging programs (to beekeepers) instituted by state and federal organizations. They will be so busy trying to put the clamps on bees and beekeepers that we will get little help in a breeding program to give us productive strains with African blood and resistance to Varroa mites yet docile enough to keep beekeepers in the pollinating business. All of us are greatly concerned about the actions that may be taken when the Africans arrive. Also it is easy to put blame on regulatory agencies for programs that do not work. Yet, in most cases, it is the beekeepers' reactions, especially those of non-commercial operators, that are responsible for the laws and regulations put into force and then, later, withdrawn as unworkable. Before you decide to support some of the schemes being proposed to keep your area, or all of the United States, free of African bees in the '90s, consider whether they are based on reality, including the heavy expenditure of funds for many years." Although some of Dr. Jaycox's ideas are debatable and controversial, his final message cannot be ignored. Beekeepers' and other citizens' tax money will be allocated on plans to deal with the African honey bee. It will be up to everyone concerned to make a determination about how much and how wisely these funds will be spent. The Florida African Bee Plan is no exception. Please communicate your thoughts to your legislators directly or through members of the Agriculture Commissioner's Africanized Honey Bee Task Force or Honey Bee Technical Council. Those interested in being added to the mailing list about future meetings on this issue should contact Mr. Laurence Cutts (address below). Honey Bee Technical Council: Laurence Cutts, Chief Apiarist, Division of Plant Industry, P.O. Box 1269, Gainesville, FL 32602, ph 904/372-3505, ext. 128. Bill Merritt, Star Route 1, Box 1080, Tallahassee, FL 32304, ph 904/962-9051. Bill Shearman, P.O. Box 999, Wimauma, FL 33598, ph 813/634-5958. Gary Hartland, P.O. Box 431, Lake Wales, FL 33853, ph 813/676-2276. Horace Bell, 1058 S. Ridgewood Ave, DeLand, FL 32720, ph 904/734-7798. Lawrence O'Ferrell, P.O. Box 221, LaBelle, FL 33935, ph 813/675-0727. Dr. M.T. Sanford, 0312 IFAS, Gainesville, FL 32601-0312, ph 904/392-1801. Africanized Honey Bee Task Force: L. Cutts and Dr.T. Sanford as noted above. B.J. Lewis, USDA-APHIS, 3505 25th Ave., Bldg 1 North, Gulfport, MS, ph 601/863-1813 Dr. David Carlson, USDA-ARS, P.O. Box 14565, Gainesville, FL 32602, ph 904/374-5929. Dr. Ralph Wilhelm, Veterinarian, 2959 Fruitville Rd., Sarasota, FL 33580, ph 813/955-0136. Dr. Glenn Hall, 0711 IFAS, Gainesville, FL 32611-0711, ph 904/377-0710. Dr. Lionel Stange, Division of Plant Industry, P.O. Box 1269, Gainesville, FL 32602, ph 904/372-3505, ext. 126. Don Harris, Chief, Bureau Methods Development, DPI, P.O. Box 1269, Gainesville, FL 32602, ph 904/372-3505 ext 105. Conrad Cramer, President, Florida State Beekeepers Assn., P.O. Box 585, Sharps, FL 32595, ph 407/636-1408. Dr. John Mulrennan, Jr., HRS Division of Health, Office of Entomology, P.O. Box 210, Jacksonville, FL 322321, ph 904/359-6650, ext. 3223. A GLIMPSE OF FLORIDA BEEKEEPING This announces availability of a new video production, "A Glimpse of Florida Beekeeping." The purpose of this video (16 minutes, color) is to communicate to the general public what Florida beekeeping is all about and describe some of the issues facing the industry today. It was produced so that beekeepers could have a visual aid to take to meetings or display at fairs and other public gatherings. The video will be available to county Cooperative Extension Offices through the IFAS Audio Visual Library here in Gainesville. It is not copyrighted and so can be copied at will. Be advised, however, that for each copy made, there will be some loss of quality. It is available as VT-297 on VHS 1/2 inch format. The other video mentioned above, "Africanized Bee Awareness," should also be present in all county offices. It will soon be available through the audiovisual library and also carries no copyright. BUMBLE BEE FOOD I have had a request from a colleague for 50 lbs. of frozen pollen to be used as bumble bee food in a research project. If you can help, please get in touch with me. Sincerely, Malcolm T. Sanford 0312 IFAS 202 Newell Hall University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611-0312 Phone (904) 392-1801 BITNET Address: MTS@IFASGNV INTERNET Address: MTS@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 5 Feb 90 23:21:00 MST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: INOUYE_D@CUBLDR.COLORADO.EDU Subject: Symposium on pollination This may have already been posted on BEE-L, but since it just came to my attention I thought I'd post it anyway: The sixth international symposium on pollination: Insect pollination and management of pollinating insects. 27-31 August 1990, Tilbur, Netherlands. Abstracts are due 1 March, I believe. Respond to me if you want more information: David Inouye Mountain Research Station University of Colorado INOUYE_D%CUBLDR@VAXF.COLORADO.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 6 Feb 90 08:29:02 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Pres Martin Subject: Re: JANUARY APIS--PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT In-Reply-To: Message of Mon, 5 Feb 90 15:29:00 EDT from Thanks for January Apis. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 7 Feb 90 16:18:00 +0100 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: INGEMARF@EVA.SLU.SE Subject: Re: JANUARY APIS--PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT January Apis received - many thanks!! ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Feb 90 17:29:00 +0200 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: EISIK@TAUNOS.BITNET Subject: Re: Symposium on pollination In-Reply-To: Message of Mon, 5 Feb 90 23:21:00 MST Dear prof. Inouye I hope to be there and see you in holland ,thanks, D.Eisikowitch. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Feb 90 10:09:00 +0100 Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: INGEMARF@EVA.SLU.SE Subject: Re: bee literature Fries, I. 1989. Short-Interval Treatments with Formic Acid for Control of Varroa jacobsoni in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Colonies in Cold Climates. Swedish J. agric. Res. 19: 213-216. Authors address: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Bee Division Box 7024 S-750 07 Uppsala Sweden BITNET: INGEMARF@EVA.SLU.SE ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Feb 90 11:54:36 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Barbara Fallon Subject: JANUARY ISSUE OF APIS--PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT In-Reply-To: Message of 02/05/90 at 15:24:00 from MTS@IFASGNV.BITNET Thank you for APHIS. Am looking forward to Spring but not to the African strand of bees. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Feb 90 18:15:00 GMT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: John Subject: RE: JANUARY ISSUE OF APIS--PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT Many Thanks Most interesting to learn what is happening elsewhere. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 14 Feb 90 09:36:49 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Aaron Morris Subject: January APIS Acknowledging receipt. Many thanks. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 14 Feb 90 15:51:00 MST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: INOUYE_D@CUBLDR.COLORADO.EDU Subject: brazilnut pollination I had a call from someone looking for information about the pollinators of brazilnut trees. Apparently euglossine bees are pollinators. She wants the information for a book she's preparing about tropical forest resources. If anyone on bee-line has information about what the flowers look like, or what species of euglossines are pollinators of brazilnuts, please either send information to me, or directly to: Sheri Amsel P. O. Box 84 Elizabethtown, NY 12932 (518) 962-4977 Thanks. David Inouye Mountain Research Station University of CO ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 17 Feb 90 14:02:00 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: MTS@IFASGNV.BITNET Subject: FEBRUARY APIS--PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT FILENAME: FEBAPIS.90 Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter Volume 8, Number 2, February 1990 AFRICAN HONEY BEE RESEARCH IN FLORIDA Last month I reported on efforts to develop an African bee plan in Florida. A large part of the projected effort will be basic research on the insect. The head of IFAS' African bee research program, Dr. Glenn Hall, and his associates continue to be busy generating information that will affect how we will deal with the invasion of the African honey bee. Research at the University of Florida focuses on honey bee deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA provides the basic blueprint for how a honey bee is constructed and behaves. DNA in the nucleus of bee cells comes from both parents at the time the egg from the queen and sperm from the drone unite. However, DNA is also found in other parts of the cell, including the energy producing capsules, called mitochondria. Because DNA from mitochondria comes only from the egg, it is inherited strictly from the queen. It is important to keep in mind the origin of specific kinds of DNA (nuclear vs mitochondrial) to fully understand and appreciate Dr. Hall's work. The significance of Dr. Hall's research was shown by a major article published in the May, 1989 issue of "Nature," one of the most widely read scientific journals. The review process leading to publication in "Nature" is strict and very few papers pass the rigors of the editors. A measure of the journal's prestige is that the discovery of DNA itself, resulting in the awarding of the Nobel Prize, was first published in its pages. The results of Dr. Hall's paper were corroborated by another authored by Deborah Smith in the same issue. Dr. Hall's paper provides evidence that African honey bees are spread as a result of swarming by queens. Of nineteen feral colonies collected in Mexico, all had typical African mitochondrial DNA. Because only the African mother carries this kind of DNA, not one single generation of bees provided by European queens are represented in this sample. In other words, the bees have maintained their African mitochondrial DNA even when it could have been lost by only one European queen providing offspring during their journey from Brazil through Central America into Mexico. The probability that all swarms collected by Dr. Hall would have African mitochondrial DNA should be small considering the fact that the bees are 5,000 miles and over 150 generations removed from their beginnings in Brazil. In addition, the swarms were collected only fifteen months after arrival of the African bee in the area of Mexico where collections took place, and the region still has many managed colonies of European honey bees. That every single sample had African mitochondrial DNA is extraordinary, so much so that it warranted publication in "Nature." The companion paper authored by Smith offers independent verification of Dr. Hall's results. Of a mixture of colonies and swarms from Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico, 59 out of 61 had African type mitochondrial DNA. In conclusion, the author states: "...an essentially African population is expanding...through migration and colonization of new territory by African females." In a comment on the above papers in the same journal, Dr. Robert Page, University of California at Davis, said: " The reported demonstration of high frequencies of African-type mitochondria in honey-bee populations in South and Central America, together with Mexico, suggests an unbroken African maternal lineage for most feral bees observed." He called for more study based on both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA to provide further information on the Africanization process. The interpretation of the above information is that drones play a much smaller role in the propagation of African bees in the tropics than do queens. If drones were the prime force causing Africanization of European bees in places like Venezuela, Costa Rica and Mexico, then there should be a greater mixture of African/European mitochondrial DNA than the above studies show. The practical significance of this is that breeding programs in the tropics relying on European drones to "dilute" African traits will not have much effect because (1) there are so few European queens to mate with, and (2) the African mother lines are continuing to produce numbers of African drones. Hybridization between European and African bees, therefore is asymmetrical in the tropics, favoring African bees. This has been observed in all places so far colonized by African bees in the Americas. Part and parcel of this interpretation is the prediction that two populations of bees exist in areas being colonized by African bees. One population of European managed bees is constantly under threat of being Africanized by the great many wild African colonies in the area. Because the African mother lines are intact, however, the reverse is not true; very few European queens manage to produce drones which will hybridize with African queens. This means that to continue managing European stock, beekeepers must consistently requeen with European queens which must come from outside the area under siege by African bees. This is the scenario many beekeepers will face, especially in the southern U.S., with the arrival of the African bee. The above interpretation is not without detractors. Although there have and continue to be many words said at bee meetings and other gatherings concerning the potential hybridization between European and African bees in the tropics, no reviewed publications exist to refute the findings reported above. Recently, however, Dr. Eric Mussen in "From the U.C. Apiaries, " quoted the editor of the Oregon Beekeepers' Association's Newsletter, "The Bee Line," who conducted an interview with Dr. Thomas Rinderer, USDA Research Leader on Africanized bees. In that article, the small sample size in the Smith paper was criticized. However, it was reported incorrectly as 10 bees (not hives) in Brazil and 17 or 18 bees (not swarms) in Mexico, when the correct figure was 10 hives in Brazil; 12 hives from Venezuela and 39 feral swarms in Mexico. In total, the number of both wild and managed colonies examined by investigators reported in the two articles above was 87, after subtracting out three colonies sampled in common. Dr. Rinderer was also quoted as saying that no one has looked at the parental origin of DNA, perhaps another oversight by the editor. The first evidence for nuclear DNA differences between African and European honey bees was published by Dr. Hall in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in July 1986. This pioneering study sparked similar interest in other research laboratories around the country. Since then, Dr. Hall has given talks on the subject at state and national bee meetings, as well as the 1988 American Bee Research Conference. In the same year, he authored a full chapter describing honey bee nuclear DNA and will soon have published a major article in the journal, "Genetics," on the same subject. According to Dr. Hall, DNA findings to date can be easily summarized. 1. The migrating force of African bees consists of unbroken African mother lines spreading as feral swarms. Evidence for this is found in results of the mitochondrial DNA studies mentioned above. 2. In the tropics, African queens in feral swarms have hybridized only to a small extent, if at all, with European drones. Evidence for this is found in nuclear DNA study. 3. European queens in tropical apiaries extensively hybridize with African drones, and can be called "Africanized." Not only nuclear DNA evidence, but practical observation corroborates this view which is the least controversial of those mentioned here. 4. Swarms of "Africanized" European mother lines have not been found in the migrating feral population, but it is expected that some will be caught near European apiaries. Evidence for this comes from both nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA studies. 5. The above interpretations are so far only valid in tropical climates. In the temperate U.S. and places like Argentina, zones with significant hybridization between African and European bees are likely to occur. This prediction was published by O. Taylor and M. Spivak in 1984. Recent studies by Brazilians show that a hybrid zone already exists in temperate Argentina. Therefore, as Dr. Hall pointed out in his report on DNA research funded partially by the Florida State Beekeepers Association in a recent newsletter: "As the bees move north into temperate regions, where European bees have advantages, increasing amounts of hybridization should take place. African behavior among feral bees should become reduced. European and African bees will probably establish a hybrid boundary across the southern U.S., as Dr. Orley Taylor and Dr. Marla Spivak, at the Univ. of Kansas, forecasted years ago. However, even in areas such as Florida, where European bees do survive well, feral hybrids may also survive to a greater extent than they do in the tropics." As mentioned in last month's newsletter, as part of the Florida African Bee Plan, Dr. Hall is asking for research funding to study methods of stock identification and certification using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. A current project focuses on controlled matings in Africanized areas. He will also be establishing baseline information and studying the African bee's dispersal patterns in Florida. FLORIDA AGRIBUSINESS COMPUTER SHORT COURSE The 1990 Florida Agribusiness Computer Short Course is scheduled for March 19- 22 at St. Petersburg Junior College in Clearwater, FL. Billed as helping agriculturalists by "tooling up for the '90s," the event promises a great deal for everybody. "In the early years, we just wanted growers to be aware of computers as a new tool," says IFAS Extension Assistant Dean Jim App, "Now people want more in-depth training...So we're offering hands-on courses growers can use to make budgets or keep records...These things people have to do whether they have computers or not. The computer is just a tool that can help." Special sessions on beginning and advanced spreadsheet budgeting, taking command of the computer's disk operating system (DOS), wading through word processing and managing information using data base programs are all featured. Many sessions are expected to fill up fast so advance registration is recommended. Each session has been expanded to a full half day and costs $30 until March 5; $40 thereafter. Special airline fares and room rates have been arranged. For a registration form and more information, contact Computer Short Course, 551 IFAS, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-0551, ph 904/392-5930. PESTICIDE PARADOX Many are increasingly disturbed at the amount of pesticide being placed in the honey bee's environment to reduce Varroa mite populations. In response to this, regulators in Florida are under the gun to reduce movement restrictions. Current rules require all colonies in a yard to be treated before being moved, if a single mite in a roll jar is found by an inspector. Given that the economic threshold is not known and the fact that treatment at best will not kill 100% of the mites present, it seems reasonable to suggest that this is not realistic and many have called for deregulation within the state. Unfortunately, according to Dr. Harvey Cromroy, IFAS Acarologist in charge of Varroa research, this presents a paradox. Because the only currently legal treatment using APISTAN (R) has a Section 18 emergency label, deregulation would by fiat cancel the registration. Therefore, no one would be allowed to use the product, clearly an unacceptable alternative. THE BEE BREEDER Many authorities acknowledge the key to better beekeeping in the future will be much more emphasis on breeding bees. "The Bee Breeder," is a new publication designed to keep beekeepers informed on latest research developments and provide practical approaches to bee breeding. The premier issue includes articles on California African bee research, Brazilian beekeeping, stock importation and comb cell size. "The Bee Breeder" has a decidedly California slant and is published with support of the California Bee Breeders Association. It will be published three times a year and subscriptions are available for $5.00. Send subscriptions to 6745 Bucktown Lane, Vacaville, CA 95688. Sincerely, Malcolm T. Sanford 0312 IFAS 202 Newell Hall University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611-0312 Phone (904) 392-1801 BITNET Address: MTS@IFASGNV INTERNET Address: MTS@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 20 Feb 90 13:23:28 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: COURANT@FRINRA72.BITNET Subject: Bee literature review Apidologie no 6/90 has just been issued. Here is its contents: 1) huang z.Y., OTIS G.W., TEAL P.E.A. Nature of brood signal activating the protein synthesis of hypopharyngeal gland in honey bees Apis mellifera pp. 455-464 University of Guelph, Department of Environmental Biology Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 (Canada) 2) PUNNETT E.N., WINSTON M.L. A comparison of package and nucleus production from honey bee colonies pp. 465-472 Simon Fraser University, Department of Biological Sciences Burnaby B.C. V5A 1S6 (Canada) 3) MOLZAHN D., KLEPSCH A., ASSMANN-WERTMULLER U. Transfer of radioactive cesium from soil to rape plants, rape blossoms and rape honey pp. 473-483 (in German, English detailed summary) Kernchemie im Fachbereich Physikalische Chemie, Philipps Universitat Marburg D-3575 Kirchhain (GFR) 4) KEVAN P.G. How honey bees forage for pollen at skunk cabbage Symplocarpus foetidus (Araceae ) pp.485-490 University of Guelph, Department of Environmental Biology Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 (Canada) 5) Proceedings of the Working Group of the Apicultural Institutes in Western Ger many 5/7 October 1988 pp. 491-531 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 21 Feb 90 08:49:00 GMT Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: John Subject: RE: FEBRUARY APIS--PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT Received. Manyt thanks thanks. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 23 Feb 90 08:51:21 CET Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: Rainer M Woitok Subject: reprint of Friese's book I got this from the catalogue of a German discount book seller: Heinrich Friese: "Die Bienen Europas (Apidae europaeae) - nach ihren Gattungen, Arten, Varietaeten auf vergleichend morphologisch- biologischer Grundlage bearbeitet". Unchanged reprint (except for an introduction) of the edition 1895-1901. 6 parts in 2 volumes. Translated from the catalogue: After a long time this facsimile edition makes again available the fundamental work of the great bee researcher, who was born 1860 in Mecklenburg. 2 volumes with together 1600 pages, 169 figures and an index. Hard cover. Original price for both volumes: DM 350 Their price : DM 198 Their order number : 207-57417 Their address : Humanitas Buchversand GmbH Postfach 33 06 D-6200 Wiesbaden 1 West Germany Their phone number : (+49-61 21) 37 71 64 ----------------- Perhaps someone is interested. Sincerely Rainer .----------------------------------------------------------------------. | Rainer M. Woitok | Phone : (+49-9131) 85-7811,-7031 | | Regionales Rechenzentrum | Fax : (+49-9131) 30 29 41 | | Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet | Telex : d 629 755 tf erl | | D-8520 Erlangen | e-Mail : MAINT@DERRZE1.BITNET | | West Germany | | '----------------------------------------------------------------------' ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 26 Feb 90 12:23:00 MST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: INOUYE_D@CUBLDR.COLORADO.EDU I recently received the following letter, which may be of interest to readers of Bee-line. If you want a copy of the membership form you could write to me at the address below, or respond by e-mail: INOUYE_D%CUBLDR@VAXF.COLORADO.EDU David Inouye Mountain Research Station University of Colorado 818 County Road 116 Nederland, CO 80466 Dear Colleague: As stated in Bee World (1986) 67(3):89, the objectives of the International Commission for Plant-Bee Relationships (formerly the International Commission for Bee Botany) are: 1) to promote and coordinate research in the area of relationships between plants and insects of the superfamily Apoidea. This research shall be concerned with physiological, ecological, ethological, and agronomic relationships, in particular with reference to: -insect-pollinated plants -foraging behavior of bees -effects of pollinators' visits on plants -management and protection of pollinating bees -materials collected by bees on plants -products derived from plants and elaborated by bees 2) to organize meetings, colloquia or symposia related to the above, and to publish and distribute their proceedings, and 3) to collaborate closely with national and international institutions interested in the relationships between plants and bees, particularly those whose objectives are to expand scientific knowledge of animal and plant ecology and flora and fauna protection. The ICPBR currently consists of various Working Groups, such as "Pollination", "Bee Protection", "Honey", "Pollen", and "Nectar". Since 1987 the "Nectar Working Group" has been inactive, due to the lack of a leader. Following recent correspondence with Dr. J. N. Tasei, Secretary-Treasurer of IBPBR, I have agreed to serve as Acting Leader, in an effort to revitalize this important Working Group. Through periodic newsletters, I hope to keep members of the Nectar Working Group informed of new, and older, research developments in the field of nectar secretion. Your suggestions for Nectar Group activities and ideas for the newsletter are welcome. I am trying to compile a list of researchers who would be interested in becoming members of the Nectar Working Group of the ICPBR. To do this, I have been scanning the literature for papers which relate to nectar, in the broadest sense: physiological and ecological aspects of nectar secretion, nectary structure and ultrastructure, plant breeding for high nectar, nectaries in plant taxonomy, etc. In other words, it is not essential to have an interest in bees, per se. If you wish to join the ICPBR as an associate member, and to continue to receive further issues of this newsletter, please complete the enclosed Membership Form, indicating your interest in the Nectar or other Working Groups, and return the form to me: Mr. Art Davis Plant Cell Biology Group Research School of Biological Sciences The Australian National University Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia I shall then forward the forms to Dr. J. N. Tasei. Presently, membership in IBPBR is free. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 27 Feb 90 18:17:37 EST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: "Edward E. Southwick" Subject: radiation to kill AFB spores Please send information on radiation treatment of AFB to address below. Please send infrmation on how your state is handling Varroa problems too. Thank you. Howard R. Kimball 1 Little Pond Road Concord, NH 03301 phone 224-2786 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 28 Feb 90 11:16:00 CST Reply-To: Discussion of Bee Biology Sender: Discussion of Bee Biology From: RB02817@SWTEXAS.BITNET Subject: BEE-L SUBSCRIBE BEE-L Robert Burke