For those of you thinking about starting II, you really don't need to go any
course. The video Sue has made is very good and I think most people would
learn from it without a teacher present. I bought the video and run it
through a number of times until I had learned most of it. Of course you make
mistakes in the beginning, but by going back to the video you usually find
what you missed. It took me a couple of days to feel confident doing II. Sue
were also willing to answer by email the few questions I had at the time. 

And I agree with others, properly made II queens will live as long as open
mated.

I found cheap Russian made microscope on Ebay, a bit heavy and clumsy but
optics are fine and it works good.
Got a few pictures of my setup last summer here:
http://beeman.se/biodling/2005/2005_2-nf.htm

-- 
Regards

P-O Gustafsson, Sweden
[log in to unmask]  http://beeman.se 

-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---