Thanks for the link to the paper.

By chance (is there really such a thing as 'chance'), over the weekend I watched Mike Palmer's lecture from the 2013 National Honey Show titled "The Sustainable Apiary", in which he talks about issues (as in - decline in quality) related to package bees.  It can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nznzpiWEI8A

If you don't want to watch the whole presentation (but it is VERY interesting), just start at 12:30.

Even assuming the identified risks have been adequately mitigated, from a quality perspective do you really want package bees from the US?  My own experience last year, when I resorted to restocking with several packages of bees (my apiary was taken out by a buck deer that ran into my mesh electric fence and knocked down all my hives, as reported here), echoed Mike's observations (i.e. poor quality queens resulting in queenless colonies from half the packages within a month).  Given the US package bee industry appears to be hard-pressed to meet even the demand in the US, will it do any better, when Canadian orders start coming in?  I'm thinking there will be an increase in price concurrent with a further decline in quality.  Yet another reason I am focused on maintaining my own stock.

Not trying to throw stones at any industry, and for the benefit of all would love to be proven wrong.  Just wond'ring aloud (with apologies to Jethro Tull).

Bill
Claremont, NH
+43° 21’  -72° 23’ (approx.)

p.s. The videos posted on YouTube from the National Honey Show are an excellent resource.


 

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