# Queens from Canada (Buckfast)



## Todd Zeiner (Jun 15, 2004)

Have they overcome the border difficulties? I thought there was too much red tape to ship queens into the US?


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

TZ,

Yes, but its very limited. Geoff will be doing one and only one shipment to the USA this year. He is setting aside a few hundred queens for this. He will be inspected just prior to the shipment. There will be significant new paperwork to complete on his end. The queens will have to be delivered to the port of entry along with all documentation.

Fusion


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Just in case anyone is interested, here is the email I got from Davies and also his email address.

[email protected]

We have an update on the shipping protocol for queen honeybees.

It appears that we will be able to ship one shipment across on June 20th 2005. The current price is $17.00 (US) There is an additional $5.00
shipping fee for orders less than 10 queens (USPS). If you require UPS please inquire for prices.

We have been booking orders for Canadian customers, but I have saved a number of queens for this date (June 20th) for our American customers that have contacted me previously. Currently Canadian inquiries are being booked for July so please contact me promptly so I can fill the remaining June 20th order with sales in Canada.

Thank-you
Geoff Wilson


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## Pugs (Jul 15, 2004)

Is anyone from the Northwest getting any of the Buckfasts Queens? I'd like to get a couple, but would like to combine an order.

Pugs


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## mark williams (Jan 19, 2003)

If the Canadian's can ship Queen's to the US,Can we ship Queen's from the US to Canada?


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## Pugs (Jul 15, 2004)

Yes, Mark I believe US queens can go to Canada. I'm not sure what the regs are. It sounds like the regs for Canadain Queens to come here are more strict that the ones for US queens to go to Canada.

There is a letter to the editor in current Bee Culture mag about the problems.

Pugs


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## Jim Fischer (Jan 5, 2001)

> It sounds like the regs for Canadain Queens to 
> come here are more strict that the ones for US 
> queens to go to Canada.

This is not a "choice". The regulations are
dictated by the WTO agreements, which dictate
"equal treatment" for all imports.

I expect that Canada will have very, very similar
requirements to the US requirements soon, as they
must treat bees from the US the same as they treat
bees from NZ and Australia.


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## franc (Jan 7, 2003)

The real deal 

http://www.beeworks.com/Borderclosure.htm


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## Rich (Dec 1, 2004)

Does davies apiaries have an Email address?
Thanks Rich


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## Jim Fischer (Jan 5, 2001)

> The real deal
> http://www.beeworks.com/Borderclosure.htm 

No, not "the real deal at all"!
Those are the uninformed rantings of someone
who just doesn't get it, not even at the level
of "who did what to who".

Its a funny story really - Canada created this
problem itself, which might otherwise not exist.

When Canada banned US bees, this created an
opportunity for NZ and Australian bee producers,
who built up an export business on bulk sales
to Canada. Without Canada's business, they likely
would not have ever had the revenues required
to "go big time".

When the WTO agreements were drafted, the US
could no longer ignore the whining of NZ and
Australia about the US not allowing them to
sell bees to US beekeepers. The WTO simply
does not allow a country to say "no".

So, the US had to come up with consistent rules
that had to be applied to ALL exporters, which
means that the US cannot show "favoritism" to
Canada, even though there is much, much less
actual risk of Canada harboring bee diseases or
pests. The WTO forces this "even-handed" treatment
of all exporters.

So, Canadian bee producers must do more paperwork
to export bees to the US as a direct result of
the Canadian ban on US bees, which lasted for
17 years.

The plea that US beekeepers talk to their
elected representatives is silly. Aside from
asking them to introduce a bill to pull the USA
out of the entire set of WTO treaties, what would
he expect us to ask THEM to do? We can't draft a
law that would violate the WTO treaties.

And "congressmen" would be the last people to
speak with or write to with about this. The 
Executive Branch (the President) negotiates 
treaties, and the Senate ratifies them. 
Congress really has nothing to say about treaties
like WTO, NAFTA, etc.  This "separation of powers"
is a very basic set of checks-and-balances in our
Constitution.

...and people say that there is no "karma"! 
Looks to me like what goes around DOES come around.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

>>Mark I believe US queens can go to Canada. I'm not sure what the regs are.

Its a 30$ or 50$ permit ( forget really but in that ball park), depending on if it is a one time or multiple importation of queens.

I havent applyed for one yet

Just a little nervious having to invest alot of money into buying US queens, and have them sit on the boarder due to unseen delays. A qualified CFIA vet has to inspect each queen shippment before access is granted. And if the shippment of queens happens to delay, lets say on a thrusday/friday, into the weeks end. My queens might sit in the office till monday, or be inspected on a CFIA vets overtime bill. 
Maybe I am being nieve and over exagerating myself, but I am going to wait to see how things are handled at the boarder for a couple of years before I consider it


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## Jim Fischer (Jan 5, 2001)

> A qualified CFIA vet has to inspect each queen 
> shipment...

This is far more sensible than the usual approach
under WTO rules, where all that need be done is
to CLAIM that your bees were inspected and found
to be free of specific diseases and pests, or
worse yet, make the shipment with only minimal
claims about specific diseases and pests that
would prevent the shipment from being admitted.

Inspection (rather than mere certification)
is what the UK and EU do, so I see no reason
why the US could not also do it. Canada
certainly seems to think that they can "get away"
with it, but the USDA APHIS folks are afraid
that NZ and Australia would file complaints
if the US implemented point-of-entry inspections.


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## Tappan34 (Feb 9, 2015)

How do you order a Queen I cant email [email protected] ? Tappan34


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

Tappan34, this thread is ten years old.


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## joens (Apr 24, 2003)

the only place in Canada I am aware of that currently sells buckfast queens and ships to the States is Ferguson
http://fergusonapiaries.on.ca/queens-buckfast-stock/shipping-and-pricing


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