Dave writes:

> However US beekeepers have progressively eliminated what AMM stock that was imported to US many years ago... I think the reasons were twofold, first when Italian genes are introduced into AMM populations, the normal docile behaviour deteriorates and the bees become aggressive, even nasty. The other reason is that Italian bees were chosen on the false premise that 'more bees make more honey' and Italian bees are noted for their inappropriate over production of brood.

* Your first point is well taken. When Italians were brought in the
hybrids were found to be vicious. These days the black bees take a bad
rap for what was probably the behavior of hybrids.

* The second point is not supported by the evidence, however. A. I .
Root was one of the champions of the movement to replace ALL black
bees with Italians. I doubt seriously that practical American
beekeepers would have followed suit if the bees were not *actually*
just as good as the claims that were made. And, even back in the 1800s
they had already identified the problem of selecting for traits
unrelated to vigor.

Read this from my 1890 edition of the ABC XYZ of Bee Culture:

> At present the Italians are by far the most profitable bees we have and even the hybrids have shown themselves so far ahead of the common bee that I think we may safely consider all discussions in the matter at an end. Many times we find colonies of hybrids that go ahead of the pure stock but as a general thing taking one season with another the pure Italians (where they have not been enfeebled by choosing the light colored bees to breed from) are ahead of any admixture. There has been a great tendency with bees as well as other stock to pay more attention to looks than to real intrinsic worth such as honey gathering prolificness of the queens hardiness, etc.; and I think this may have had much to do with the severe losses we have sustained in winters past.

> Even if it were true that hybrids produce as much honey as pure Italians each beekeeper would want at least one queen of absolute and known purity for although a first cross might do very well, unless he had this one pure queen to furnish queen cells he would soon have bees of all possible grades from the faintest trace of Italian blood all the way up. The objection to this course is that these blacks with about one band to show trace of Italian blood are the wickedest bees to sting that can well be imagined, being very much more vindictive than either race in its purity they also have a very disagreeable way of tumbling off the combs in a perfectly demoralized state whenever the hive is opened except in the height of the honey season and of making a general uproar when they are compelled by smoke to be decent.

> Our pure Italian stocks can be opened at any time and their queens removed scarcely disturbing the cluster and as a general thing without the use of any smoke at all by one who is fully conversant with the habits of bees. A good many hybrids will not repel the moth as do the half bloods and the pure Italians. For these reasons and several others I would rear all queens from one of known purity. If we do this we may have almost if not quite the full benefit of the Italians as *honey gatherers* even though there are black bees all about us.

> If you are going to raise queens for the market, you should buy up or Italianize all the common bees within two or three miles of you , in every direction.

-- 
Peter L. Borst
Danby, NY  USA
42.35, -76.50

picasaweb.google.com/peterlborst

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