hi ef, to answer your questions.......
"Does anyone here have experience with artificially inseminated queens?
To be more specific with my questions:
Do you buy them?
What are you looking for in an artificially inseminated queen?
Where have you bought them?
How much are you willing to pay for them?
Have you found them to be worth the cost?
From your overall experience with them, would you recommend that others buy them too?"
AI queens are expensive,
1. i didn't buy them, my russian bee mentor purchased them, russian stock (AI Queens) from what is now the RHBA association.
2. better mite resistance and better overall wintering
3. as stated, what is now the rhba association, but a member prior to it's inception, have to look up his name...
4. 350 american dollars for each queen at the time
5. he found it to be worth his costs at the time, and i was privileged to receive daughter queens/progeny of the russian stock held by the usda at the time.
6. worth the cost? it's sort of a gamble ef, not sure i would be willing to spend the dollars, would just try and utilize the best queens i have in my hives to obtain the desired results i am looking for.
hope this helps a little?