In response to several requests following the summary I posted - a summary that maybe left more than a few questions unanswered (I prepared it in haste as my wife waited to go out for supper): > Thanks again for you considered inputs to the BEE-L. > > I would be interested to hear about your experience in the search for, and > purchase of, a binocular scope. > <snip> > I also enjoy your presence on the WWW. Thanks for the kind words. I hope others have discovered the bee resources on the web too. (An entry point is in my sig at the bottom of this note). Conrad Berube (a BEE-L list member) turned out to have a new scope he had bought in a bulk purchase. I paid about $200 Canadian (150 US) for it as I recall. It's a 'Northwest' brand binocular dissecting scope with no illumination built in. Max magnification is 40 power with the lenses that came with it and I'm very happy with it. The optics are clear and the mechanism is solid and well aligned. It is the cheapest binocular dissecting scope they list - a student scope. Conrad arranged to have a Northwest catalog sent to me. The address is: West: Box 6100 LCD 1, Victoria, BC, Canada V8P 5L4 (604) 592-2438 East: Box 1356, Guelph, ON, Canada N1H 6N8 (519) 836-4105 At any rate, it seems that around $200 US should obtain a pretty adequate scope for anything less than industrial grade use. A few extra $ to get built-in illumination is probably worth it, so you aren't melting things using a lamp or searching for a light source. I posted some of the other suppliers in my summary - thanks to my friends on the list who dug out their supplier references for me. I should also mention that the yellow pages in any sizable city have numerous listings under 'microscopes'. For very occasional use - if you live in a small town and know some teachers - you might also be able to borrow a scope. Hope this helps. Regards Allen W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper VE6CFK RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta Canada T0M 1Y0 Internet:[log in to unmask] Honey. Bees, Art, & Futures <http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/~dicka>