At 09:34 PM 7/28/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>You said "reputable breeder".  Sue Cobey who is the developer of NWC only
>sells breeder queens to 6 breeders, hand selected by her for their
>knowledge and
>integrity.

Not entirely true.  I recently purchased a breeder from Sue to raise my own
queens, so others can get the breeders. A very nice queen, and her
daughters equally so, (large, healthy, vigorous queens).

Have you complained to the breeder?  A reputable breeder should fix the
problem.

Definitely give queen rearing a try.  I've found it a very worthwhile
experience.  You can take the time to select good queen, give enough time
for good mating, and make sure she is a good laying queen unlike many big
breeders who must do things quickly and in large volume.    I started
raising queens myself several years ago.  Grafting for most (including
myself) is usually the biggest hurtle, but really isn't hard given enough
practice (the first few times can be very frustrating).  This year I
invested in a breeder to take advantage of the years of hard work and
expertise by Sue with the intent of only raising queens for myself, but
have started raising a small number for others.

-Tim

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