Letters to the Editor

A Stop press item in Newsletter 11, 1987 stated that Varroa had been identified in Saskatchewan, Canada. John Gruszka, IBRA Regional Representative and Provincial Apiculturalists now writes:

I wish to clarify the situation in Saskatchewan. Varroa has not been found in the commercial beekeeping areas of Saskatchewan in a manner similar to the spread that occurred in the US.

The Varroa mites found in Saskatchewan were in packages which had been brought to a remote area of northern Saskatchewan under Ministerial permit and operated under quarantine. These packages were infected with tracheal mites and were part of a two year study on the impact of tracheal mites on packaged and wintered colonies in Saskatchewan. These colonies were kept in isolation and under quarantine for the entire duration of the project at La Ronge, Saskatchewan which is 250 km north of the agricultural zone. The Varroa mites were found at the end of the second year of study and all of the colonies in La Ronge were destroyed in October 1987.

A national survey for Varroa mites was conducted in Canada during the spring and summer of 1988 and no Varroa mites were found. To the best of our knowledge, the Varroa mite does not exist in Canada at present.

John Gruszka, Saskatchewan Agriculture, Canada.

[Although by no means a tropical or subtropical country, news of Varroa in Canada was carried in Newsletter Number 11 because the spread of these Asian honeybee mites is of concern to beekeepers worldwide. Those who seek to import or export honeybees must exert great caution and ensure that they do not add to the further spread of honeybee pests and diseases]

Giant snails

Here in Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands we have the Giant African Snail (introduced by the Japanese in the 1930s) which is now indigenous to the island. On several occasions I have found empty shells at the hive entrances and more rarely I have found shells inside the hive itself embedded in propolis at the bottom of frames. Unfortunately I have not documented this photographically but I am convinced that these snails are attracted to the hives and occasionally, when they are small enough to enter, will actually go into the hive where they appear to be killed by the bees.

Perhaps other areas in the tropics have something similar? I would be very interested in further information.

Samuel F McPhetres, Tuturam Development Co, Mariana Islands.