Maybe someone can explain to me why we need to import bees from
outside the USA to replenish our dead outs?

Perhaps I am missing some information but whats wrong with the
notion that the bee industry in  the USA  be focusd on fixing our own
problems rather then looking for a new supplier of packages and
queens?

For example I have been purchasing new world carniolan bees from a
large west coast breeder for years.

they are great bees, winter well and produce large crops. However
they are highly dependent on treatment for varorra. The breeders
website and bee journal ads mention little about any credible program
or research they are doing to propogate mite resistant bees.

Maybe what we need instead of imports is a higher ethic or a
regulation requiring queen breeders selling in the USA to be doing
something about the mite problem instead of putting a queen in a
queen cage and charging $12.

It appears to me that the solutions to the mite problem are within
reach but takes a regimented commitment to doing the work and
selectvely breeding a mite resistant bee. Of course this require a lot
more effort then just shipping a queen to pay the bills or importing
bees to profit on the current situation.

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