> tried that approach {asking queen suppliers about Tracheal Mite > resistance] and, found that it is easier to accomplish at the keyboard > than in the real world. Maybe it was that you had no intention of actually buying any queens. Another problem may have been that you were not well-known to them. >> I discovered that the National Academy of Sciences Report titled >> Status of Pollinators in North America (2006) page 180 talks about >> recommendation to improve honeybee health. including 3rd party >> certification of queen producers. ties in with discussion on tracheal >> mite resistance and how do you know if your breeder selects. this >> sounds like an excellent idea. Yeah, it would be a great idea. Right now, there is far too much of an "old boy network", where "who you know" seems to be an important factor. But would the queen/package producers cooperate? I think some would foot-drag, if not sue for "product disparagement" when results of certification tests were published. ****************************************************** * Full guidelines for BEE-L posting are at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm * ******************************************************