?
> we do not have a well established beekeeping industry particularly when we
> think on queens and packages for export. Therefore no one is actually
> pushing the government to open the USA market.

The big demand is for queens. Stopping the Aussie queens hurt beekeeping. 
The package business less so. The package business was in trouble due to 
pricing. When the exchange ratio changed driving the package price around 
$30 a package higher *than when the import started *U.S. beekeepers started 
looking around for another solution.

Strong single hives out of Florida ,loaded at around 700 hives per semi 
(   as compared to the 380 hives per semi of heavy hives sent from the 
Midwest) drawing the same almond pollination fee as these doubles
are filling the Aussie package void.

the Florida hives contain 10 newly drawn frames, top & bottom and are sent 
on 6 way pallets chock full of emerging brood , pollen and honey. Comb which 
has not had chemical mitacides used.

All for around $20 dollars higher (volume pricing from last month )than a 
*last year * Aussie package of $130 per package U.S. (without the 
installation labor and not grading as high as the singles).

My point is the exchange rate would need to be such as was at the time of 
the first Aussie import to be competitive with the singles.

Queens are another matter. An opening exists for import queens in 
Dec.,Jan.,Feb.& March in the U.S..
I have an investor friend which might be interested in starting such an 
operation in Chile *if* he could be assured import into the states would 
happen. He actually owns another queen rearing operation he started four 
years ago in South America but efforts to gain access to the U.S. market 
have failed of far.
He started the other operation *in my opinion* to supply Mexican beekeepers 
if they should want to expand their hive numbers but we have never discussed 
the whys of his investment. The operation is in an area of AHB bees.

bob 

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