Tom Culliney from Hawaii asked about imports of bees into Australia. I had posted on the Bee-L before about this. Australia has a strict protocol to be followed for the importation of queen bees. There are requirements to be met in the country of origin and when the queen bee arrives in Australia. Tom, I will send, by post, a copy of the protocol. It will answer most of your questions. If anyone else on Bee-L would like a copy, let me know directly. Chris Allen posted a note which has several incorrect statements. I will correct those statements. There are certain certifications required by the counrty of origin which are more extensive than just a health certificate. Queen bees do not arrive with 40 escorts. The protocol requires not less than 6 escorts and it is often around 6 to10. When the queen bee arrives, after satisfactory visual inspection she put into a new mailing cage with fresh escorts from Australia for a period of not less than 14 days. Her origin escorts are internally and externally examined and after the minimum of 14 days the Australian escorts are examined and if they are clear, the queen bee is then introduced into the nucleus in the flight cage. There is no artifical insemination carried out on the imported queen bee. At present, Australia does not have a protocol in place for the introduction of drone semen. After satisfactory tests on the progeny of the new queen bee, grafting of larvae from the nucleus colony is allowed under strict supervision. This is done into plastic cell cups which are allowed to be taken away from the quarantine facility. No queen cells are taken from the quarantine station. I am unaware of any bad genetic stock that has been intercepted at the quarantine station. I will check this out and let the list know if this has been the case. The protocol used in Australia is 12 pages long, so I cannot put all the conditions on the list. If anyone wishes to comment on our protocol, please obtain a copy beforehand so you have all the facts at hand. Sorry to bore most on the list with the corrections but these needed to be made, particularly when the original enquiry was from a Government Departmental Officer. Trevor Weatherhead AUSTRALIA