> Don't confuse visibility with scale or quality. Ask Bob. Even in the US
> some of the breeders are virtually invisible if all you do is a web search
> or a read of the US bee press.

In Texas during spring many beeks raise & sell queens/cells. Most of us
prefer cells due to the lower cost and time is not an issue as it will be a
couple months before the hives will be shipped north. Later in the spring
mated queens are preferred. Almost none of these beeks advertise. Brad
Folsland from Oldham, South, Dakota does not advertise but produces for
himself and other beeks as many queens and cells as many small producers
which advertise. Brad gets his breeder queens new each season from Marla
Spivak.

Brad is a fourth generation commercial beekeeper and claims Fosland Honey is
the oldest still running operation in South , Dakota. I have seen both
brad's and his Brothers registered bee locations in South Dakota and they
report a 55 gallon of honey from every pallet of four hives in most years!

At times Brad has an over abundance of queens & cells. other times only
enough for his commercial operation and his growing circle of friends. When
you winter in Texas or Florida queens & cells are usually available.
Especially cells. None of these commercial beeks advertise.

Every morning in places beeks winter the beeks meet at various restaurants. 
At nights at the local watering holes!
Extra queens & cells are usually available.

Also I would say Murray has a rather large queen rearing operation as
compared to most U.S. commercial beeks as most  prefer to buy cells and 
queens.

> I would say just persist with the bees you like, no matter what the
> morphometry says. Its all a bit nazi to me, perfectly good bees rejected
> because their wing venation is not as desired. I am a perfectly happy
> local strain/mongrels owner.

I consider most commercial queen producers bees in the U.S. to be mongrel .
beeks which have worked for a few have said dark queens go in a carniolan
queen cage and light queens go in an Italian queen cage.
In Texas we buy queens which we call "striper" queens. Very unusual 
markings. The commercial beek
(which does not advertise) uses a deliberate cross between NWC & Italians.
Excellent bees those queens produce.


bob

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************