Jack, the best queens are the ones who’s progeny produce the most honey. There will always be one colony that out performs the rest. She’s the one to breed from. Forget about the bees color. Let your splits make new queens from good performing brood through natural selection. Get rid of any cranky progeny by killing the queens. That’s my strategy.
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I reckon Jeff is right on the dot. Just breed from your best, regardless of Colour, if you breed your own.
From what I hear, Italians or others, they are all good and you want them defending if needed.
Most our queens are open mated, so rely on good stock drones out there.
At least around here, we seem to be covered.
Just imagine in areas where there are Africanized bees. You wouldn’t want your new queen out for mating.
We are still a lucky country in many ways.
I wonder, since in Africanized areas beeks rely on stock from very few places, what it does to genetic diversity.
Also, what drone culling for varroa elimination does to same.
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Makes sense to me! Not to mention in Louisiana, even the humans don’t want to be messed with in this heat and humidity in summer.
According to the Ag Department website in Western Australia we only have Apis mellifera (European honey bee).
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Don’t forget the 800 species of native bees too!!!
