I work with A.m.m. in the north of Sweden. Originally there where no bees here untill man introduced bees in Jämtland for ca. 250 years ago. 
Nowadays we try to keep our dark queens as pure as we can. They go up till 96% mellifera wingindex.
My colleagues and I can't work with our bees without proper protection. Further south, in Germany, beekeepers can work without any protection with the same bees (queens from the same line).

My question is: Can our cold climate be a stress factor for bees and make them unhappy and stingy so that the behave more aggressive? Could this also influense swarming behavior?

Regards,

Han Brink
Jämtland, Sweden

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