I concur with Charlie's latest post--the queen producers that I know are
professionals whose queens must compete each year in the demanding market
of other professional beekeepers.  Do some select for color?  Yes, since
part of the market demands queens of a certain color.  Do they select for
performance?  Yes, if they wish to stay in business!

> In a prior note you singled out  OHB,  I happen to know Ray fairly well
and I am quite positive of his style and influence on the bee industry that
his entire family has been a part of.  Ray has more class than me,  if you
were to make this claim to him,  he would quiz you on it first, and
probably wouldn’t argue.

I also concur--the Olivarez's are personal friends, and some of the most
conscientious people that I've ever met, with respect to attempting to
produce quality products, in how they treat their employees, and how they
help our industry.

I am now in the unenviable position of trying to refute things I never said. I never made any negative remarks about queen quality, nor mentioned any breeders by name. I found the OHB advertising copy online and commented about it. I used the advertising copy as an example of how the terms hybrid, Italians, heterosis, etc were used with no regard to their actual significance and meaning. I don't know who wrote that stuff and who reads it. I said on several occasions that good queens could be purchased, that it doesn't matter what they are called, and that I had no interest in this devolving into a discussion about people. Recently I retired from a full time position at Cornell University; I can retire from here too. I feel little compunction to work hard at Bee-L and watch my efforts misread, misunderstood and misrepresented. Not worth the aggravation.

PLB

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