>
> And as someone who does
> produce a good number of queens each season, I feel that today's queen
> prices are too cheap.
>

I think that depends on what you are talking about. If you are talking
about a large (or mid size) breeder that is producing quality queens with
fantastic genetics (selected for pre-determined characteristics) under any
sort of schedule (other than a posting on craigslist when they're ready),
then I don't know how anyone can stay in business at $20-25 each. To me,
BeeWeaver fits this bill, and I don't mind paying $35 for one of their
queens. If they charged more, I'd probably pay it. Worth it to me. They put
in the time to get to where they are, they provide a quality product on
time, and they deserve to get paid for it.

But then you have those that caught a few swarms, don't select for anything
in particular, are bumbling through the process, and seeing how BeeWeaver
is selling their treatment free queens for $35, so why shouldn't they sell
theirs for as much, if not more? They didn't invest the time, money,
resources or knowledge and produce a subpar product on unpredictable time
tables but expect to be paid the same if not more. If you charged $35 for
that queen, I'd say you're overpaying.

A few years back a gentlemen in Mississippi was buying queens in bulk from
CA, repackaging them, labeling them different strains (including AMM,
"beetle blaster genes" and various self branded names), and explaining all
the different (ultimately incorrect) breeding and selection techniques he
was using (including some breeding islands). He eventually ripped alot of
people out of money, was facing criminal charges, and filed bankruptcy in
an attempt to get out of all of it.

By nature you remember the bad eggs more than the good eggs. Get screwed
once and you have a suspicious and cautious mind for the industry. And I
somewhat understand it.

>
>
> As far as the "Taillight Guarantee,"  I can understand if selling to
> newbies, due to their inexperience in handling caged queens, but would
> certainly cover drone layers, or the tiny percentage of queens that simply
> cease laying. I also know that buyers often inadvertently stress received
> queens (several times I've seen returned queens with the candy plug
> melted--indicating that the caged queen had been left in the sun).


Greater risk exists to the queen producer who is selling to newbies,
usually identified by the guy buying one or two queens at a time. If you're
too small to absorb the risk, or if you can't spend time time to educate
the customer on how to handle their queens, don't sell to newbies. At least
that's my take. Instead, spreading a policy of "sucks to be you once you
step off my property" appears to go in the opposite direction of the
culture many beekeepers in the past intended to generate of comradery and
communal support, and shows to potential buyers that the seller may not be
willing to stand behind is product (which often means he's had high
incidents of issues, or knows he's selling a lower than expected product at
higher than should be rates).

Personally, I applaud those who are in the queen rearing business. 99% of
the queens that are produced are great, and to have the knowledge base,
breeding history, and investments they do clearly show they are dedicated
and devoted to their craft.

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