Jim said: so FIRST solve the underlying problem of meeting the US demand for honey with US honey. The U.S. beekeeper has no intention of producing all the honey for the U.S.. A few years ago we could not even sell our honey *UNLESS* WE CAME DOWN TO THE .37 a pound chinese honey was selling for. Tens of thousands of barrels of U.S. honey sat in warehouses while the packers only bought enough U.S. honey to blend the baker grade honey produced in Mexico/ Argentina and CHINA with. Jim said: As it stands now, we consume more than we produce, and we had better be nice to our counterparts who fly different flags, 'cause without them, the supply of honey to the consumer would be about as dependable as I agree! The U.S. will always in my opinion need to import honey BUT WHEN ALL THE COMMERCIAL BEEKEEPERS HAVE WENT BANKRUPT AS WAS HAPPENING IN THE 90'S who is going to do the U.S. crop pollination? We can always buy our honey but China, Argentina and others will be of little help with our pollination problems. Bob :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::