Hello Scott and All, >For what it's worth, I for one would llike to buy inseminated queens out >of Mexico where they have been utilizing the proven disease and pest >resistance of the AHB for years and enjoying all the savings of getting >off the chemical treadmill. I know of no such bee in Mexico. Can you point to a specific beekeeper? The Mexican beekeepers I have talked to have had the same problems with varroa as we have even though they believe a percentage of AHb exists in their colonies. >Here in California we have a new geographic race that flew in on its >own from Mexico, and yet we can't buy the selected commercial >performer and save several years of American trial and error. You need to be more specific or at least describe the bee and provide data on the bees capability to survive varroa. The SMR bee developed by the USDA in Baton Rouge , LA. have had the lowest varroa count than any AHB, Russian queen or survivor queen. Order a few queens ,install and see for yourself. >I would bet a couple of beekeepers in Texas and Arizona are already >making some chemical free honey. As posted many times on BEE-L by Jerry B.. Contaminents can be found in most honeys of the world from the environment. None of the chemicals found in honey from the use of government approved strips is above parts per billion. Only in very rare cases (I am told) have any fluvalinate or choumaphos residues been detected in honey. Beewax fluvalinate and coumaphos contamination has been easier to find and is fairly common but still the contamination is low but detectable. The honey sold in the U.S. is plenty safe. I resent the implication that U.S. produced honey is full of chemicals. I do accept the fact that much of the China honey is antibiotic contaminated. I also except the fact that when China gets its new crop the contaminated honey will be blended with the new crop so the contamination can not be detected and then shipped all over the world. Most of the crop of 2002 produced in China remains unsold in China. China production ie equal to the total Us and Argentina production combined. Once antibiotic contamination can not be detected in China honey the flood of honey into the world market from China will start again. The government owns *ALL* the honey in China and will move the honey at whatever the market dictates and moving the product is of higher priority than the price. Every spike in honey prices has been followed by a below average pricing in the next year through out history. *Food for thought for all those beekeepers expanding as fast as they can chasing the high wholesale price (today) of honey.* Will the price offered by packers next fall be high *or* (like always) below the cost of production? Bob