The Africanized honeybee (AHB) is 

 also a controversial topic among bee 

 researchers and beekeepers. How 

 far north into the United States the 

 bees will eventually spread is not 

 yet clear. Some experts believe that 

 the Africanized bees won't be able to 

 take cold winters, which will limit 

 their spread north. Others believe 

 the Africanized intruders will be 

 able to survive anywhere that 

 honeybees now live in North 

 America. 



There are two primary concerns 

 about the intrusion of the AHB into 

 this country. European honeybees 

 that interbreed with them may 

 become harder to manage as 

 pollinators of crops and may not be 

 as efficient when it comes to honey 

 production. 



One-third of the American diet is 

 directly or indirectly dependent on 

 crops that are pollinated by honey- 

 bees. They also produce about $150 

 million worth of honey a year. 



In New Hampshire the honeybee's 

 value to pollination of crops (apples, 

 blueben-ies and vine crops mainly) 

 is estimated to be around $60 to $70 

 million. It is not exactly known how 

 many colonies of honeybees there 

 are in New Hampshire, but is 

 estimated there are as many as 

 4000+ colonies. This does not 

 include the 1200 to 1500 colonies 

 brought into the state by migratory 

 beekeepers. 



So what does all this mean for 

 honeybees in New Hampshire? It 

 means beekeepers are going to be 

 required to manage their bees 

 better than they have ever done 

 before. They will need to become 

 educated as to how to split/divide 

 their colonies and raise their own 

 queens rather than purchase 

 packages for the southern states. 

 Samples of overly aggressive bees 

 will have to be sent to a lab for 

 identification. 



The beekeepers will need to educate 

 the general public that, although 

 the AHB's are more easily provoked 

 to stinging than are the European 

 honeybees, they are not a maraud- 

 ing danger. The AHB will sting in 

 greater numbers and are likely to 

 follow an attacker farther, but 



swarms are not out searching for 

 victims. Researchers say it's not so 

 much that they are more aggressive 

 as that they are more defensive. 

 Should you come across a swarm of 

 bees hanging from a tree, get out of 

 the area inmiediately and report 

 this swarm to the police, a local 

 beekeeper, or your local County 

 UNH Cooperative Extension Office. 



There will probably be more sting- 

 ing incidents once Africanized 

 honeybees become fully established 

 in the United States, but the 

 chance of being fatally stung by 

 them remains less than the chance 

 of being killed by lightning. 



We will continue to depend on 

 honeybees as the major force in 

 pollinating crops in New Hampshire 

 and we will have to learn to work 

 with the Africanized honey bee 

 until researchers find a solution — 

 perhaps the genetic engineering of 

 a superior bee. ■"» 



David Sorenson, UNH Cooperative 

 Extension Educator — Agricultural 

 Resources and Extension Apicultur- 

 ist, is located in Carroll County, 

 NH. For further information, write 

 Dave at 34 Main Street, PO Box 

 367, Conway, NH 03818, or call him 

 at (603) 447-5922. 



New Hampshire's Response 



In the February/March issue ofThe Plantsman, Bob Childs wrote 

 about southern New England's concern about the Hemlock Wooly 

 Adelgid. It seemed sensible to ask Siegfried Thewke, New 

 Hampshire 'sState Entomologist, how New Hampshire viewed this 

 insect. 



New Hampshire's response is serious — a quarantine has been 

 established against the adelgid. Quarantined areas include the 

 West Coast states and Alaska and Connecticut, Massachusetts, 

 Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, 

 Delaware, and the Distinct of Columbia. 



Commoditiescovered include hemlock seedlings, hemlock nursery 

 stock, hemlock logs with bark, and hemlock lumber with bark. 



Seedlings and nursery stock coming into New Hampshire must be 

 accompanied by a declaration from officials in the state of origin 

 that the material is free from infestation. 



Logs and lumber can only be shipped to pre-approved sites in New 

 Hampshire. If it is shipped to other sites, it must be accompanied 

 by a certificate from the state of origin stating where the material 

 was grown and that both this area and the material itself are free 

 from infestation. 



There are occasional spot inspections of plant material at New 

 Hampshire nurseries and garden centers to see if these regulations 

 are being followed. 



For further information, contact Siegfried Thewke, State Ento- 

 mologist, at (603) 271-2561. 



April/May 1991 17 



