Hello Barry & All,
Barry wrote:
>This still leaves me with my original question and with no one saying >they
> will test the stock without using chemicals. Either no one on the list is
> using SMR stock or there really is no one willing to go "full monty" in
> their testing. It seems a missed opportunity. So now instead of just
>paying  for chemicals to treat the bees, we add to that the cost of
>special queens   and labor. I fail to understand this idea.

If you go back and read my previous SMR posts you will see my SMR plans.
As I posted before I believe in SMR enough to use the queens but like I
posted will not make any claims until the spring of 2004. Two years from
this spring. The list will be the first to get my opnion.
I grafted SMR from the red line Sunday and my partner and I grafted from the
yellow line on Monday. We have got quite a few SMR queens mated and laying
and out to other beekeepers to try. Bringing in the honey crop is slowing
things down.
I always need queens Barry but I do not need the hassle of melting down comb
a couple times and making my own foundation (4.9mm by hand)for a process
which you say is only a third of the cure for solving the varroa problem.
Has the list got  opinion on the research being done in Canada on Follicel?
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa, Missouri