"nobody was willing to hand over healthy, laying, queens to be sliced up"

Seriously ?  If they pick up the shipping tab, I'll put a few in a box and send them their way ;)  Simply a gesture, as I don't believe that you can import live specimens.
However it does appear a case of cutting one's nose to spite one's face or possibly healthy, laying, queens are a much scarcer commodity than I supposed.

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