a couple of Aaron Morris questions followed by> my answer...
Do you feel the program provides vital service to beekeepers? If so, what are these services? Is there a fee
associated with the program? If so, what is the fee?
>I am inspected at least once a year and invariable I learn quite a bit during the brief (usually takes about 2 hour) inspection. According the the head of the entomology department (I kind of work for them part time) the state pays about 2/3 the cost of inspection and the client pays 1/3. I primarily am inspected for a Queen Breeder Permit (phrased all wrong I think) which cost me about $300/year. It does give me a health permits to attach to boxes if I wish to send queens via the USPS.
>The largest benefit to inspection is the force this places on folks that do mass movement of bees (and potentially to move around disease and pathogens) to at least do things in a reasonable and well though out way.
>We do have our share of anarchist anti regulation folks here and of course they are opposed to anything anyone wants to do no matter if it has merit or not. They are the driving force behind the changes to the bee laws here in Texas.... As is often the case 'forgive them lord for they do not know what they do'. Sadly folks new to all this never learned as to why these kind of laws were implemented in the first place and therefore only see their cost and not their value..
Gene in Central Texas...
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