There seems to be a notion that the rules against the importation of bee sperm into USA is unfair and understandable and that it is totally safe. This is what I think The importation of germplasm, although probably at low risk of carrying viruses and bacteria, (although not totally) has it's biggest problem in the genetic material which it contains. This germplasm has the potential to produce offspring which may behave in strange and unpredicatable ways. In the case of the honey bee this is very important, and in many ways this issue needs tougher legislation for the honeybee than for other agricultural species. Once introduced, alien germplasm will be very difficult to remove from a population of honeybees, where it is impossible to contain or totally control the matings with the native/feral population. This is not so important for instance in cattle semen importation, as the offspring are not going to range around the countryside uncontrollably, or hide up trees etc. There are probably many other points also relevant to your question of which I have no knowledge. But I hope this goes some way to explaining why people are concerned with this matter, and why control is so very important. Steve Pearce University of Dundee Scotland