On Tue, 20 Aug 1996, Allen Dick wrote:
 
>>
> One arguement against free access to cheap California packages and
> queens is that is that some package buyers will revert to running the bees
> one season, and gassing them in the fall, rather than wintering.
> Many (all) currently successful beekeepers winter their bees.  Since
> running packages is more of a box keeping business than beekeeping,
> they are expected to have a lower level of skill and knowledge (THis
> was the case in the past).
>
> Moreover, it is thought that the US package producers have had
> trouble in recent years supplying even their domestic market in a
> timely fashion, and that opening the border would inflate the price
> of bees to both US and Canadian beekeepers to the point where the
> price becomes about the same as we are paying for bees from
> Australia and New Zealand anyhow.
>
> What are the thoughts of those on the list?
>
 Hi Allen and All,
   We in the US have been taxing the package producers abillity to meet
our needs for early packages.It will become worse until we get Varroa
under control by all of our beekeepers that are left.
  I was saddened when I read about gas and the bees. I know that has been
done in the past.That is criminal, with so many people trying to save the
bees and have people killing them with gas. Your right, they are not
beekeepers.We that love the bees have a hard time with seeing our bees die
with Varroa , when we could have treated in time and saved them. I was in
a friends house in april of 95 talking about his lose of about 70 hives in
the winter. He had tears in his eyes and was telling me that he was'nt a
beekeeper. He has been one for 30 years.Yes he wants to make money, but he
wants to do it with good beekeeping.
 I want our package people in the US to make money also. The market will
determin the price of packages. It is going up now without Canada getting
bees from the US.It is time for beekeepers to make money with there
craft.It is very important to have bees for pollenation and I fear that
the spring of 97 will show everyone the importance of honeybees the hard
way.My own observation is that some big beekeepers are leaving Apistan in
the hive all year long. Which will come back to bite all of us.
 We need more education to the public about our bees so  fool wont
killing.
Best Regards
 Roy