On 17-Sep-14, at 12:25 PM, Richard Cryberg wrote:

>  In general no purchaser really knows where the queens in those  
> packages came from.


Hi Richard and All

Prior to the border closure in the '80s, we in Ontario got packages  
from the southern US.  The importer, a local bee equipment supplier  
travelled to his chosen package provider and returned with his truck  
loaded with several thousand packages.  He didn't always get the bees  
from the same outfit and some years got packages from more than one  
outfit down south.  Some years we would get great bees, other years  
duds and several times mean nasty bees.  We never knew where they  
came from and had no choice because we had to order in November for  
delivery in April/May.

After T mites in the US resulted in the border closure, several  
larger beekeepers started producing and selling queens/hives/nucs  
from their local Ontario stock.  While I have found a beekeeper near  
me who produces consistently gentle productive  bees, I'm sure that  
duds and mean bees can also be purchased in Ontario, but not by me.   
Have my chosen bees adapted to my location or have I adapted to the  
bees I have?

Bob Darrell
Caledon Ontario
Canada
44N80W

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