In the case of the Yugoslavian bees, a state committee approved the permit, but there continues to be no standard importation criteria that can be followed for subsequent introductions. This is an overriding concern for a large number of colonies a beekeeper manages. Hints that reliance on the numbers game is not profitable are seen in the June issue of American Bee Journal . Proper management and close supervision are key factors in Mr. Steinoble's success. Mr. Hubertus Von Posern of Austria, writing in the same journal part two of a series on the Brazilian Apimondia Congress, also alludes to the numbers game.
Brazilian beekeepers claim to have few disease problems with their bees.
But Mr. Von Posern doubts high disease resistance in the African bee. Rather, he witnessed beekeepers killing off weak colonies with few qualms. These losses are easily replaced by swarms. We learned at the Convention that bee diseases do exist in Brazil after all. We feel that a major contributor is the huge increase in the number of colonies.