Hello Tom,
 
you're right, artificial insemination isn't a common part of beekeeping. The
main problems of insemination technique are the price of the equipment and the
selection of good breeds.
 
> What equipment is needed, where can training be obtained, and what are the
> chances of it being even moderately successful in the hands of an amateur?
 
There are different types of equipement used. Typically you need a queen
holder, sterilization equipment, and carbondioxid for narcotication, a
microscope and a special syringe to inject semen into the vagina of the
queen.Best training is by doing and learning from a man/women who is working
with these techniques regularily. Surely you will get some adresses from
insemination-stations in Ireland or Great-Britain. It isn't very complicated to
 
learn it, if you are used to work carefully and exactly.
 
The artificial insemination is a good technique for controlling the mating of
queens. If you let your queens get mated naturally they get mated with
different drones (up to 20) and of an area with about a radius of 10 km.
 
If you want to control matings you have to bring your queens to special mating
places with some drone-hives of good descent on small islands or valleys in
high mountains. Here in Germany we have such mating places in the mountains in
the south or on some islands in the Northern Sea. Simply Insemination is not a
garantee for getting good queens, because you can use any drones semen and any
unmated queen for an insemination-process.
 
As you see, insemination will never become a common part of beekeeping. It's
just a special method of some queen breeders. Perhaps you can send your unmated
queens to a insemination station in your country, if you aren't able to have
your own insemination laboratory.
 
Good luck in any way.
Sincerely
 
Reimund (Excuse me if my English is hardly to understand!)
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Beekeeper in Germany (Bavaria)
Queen Rearion of Carniolan Bees
Insemination Station
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