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>