> The transition can be difficult. 
> Commercial beekeeping tends 
> to be done by formula and having 
> two strains with vastly differing 
> characteristics, especially with 
> semi-skilled labour,  is almost impossible.

So, we have Italian-based, Carni-based, Russian-based, and bees with liberal
dollops of AHB genetics.  Would that be the major hybrids of concern in
regard to different management schemes and schedules?  I can't imagine
anyone would still be trying to run Amm hives in any quantity more than a
few dozen at a time, as defensive as they are, but maybe I am a softie.

I ran for several years on about half Italian and half NWC before I aged out
the last hundred Italian queens and replaced them with NWCs, so it really is
not so hard, even with teenage labor, the ultimate in "semi-skilled".

But NWCs are "sports cars", while Italians are like Volkswagens, so they
certainly do require different management.  Different color hive numbers
stenciled on the bottom boards were required, and efforts were made to keep
them segregated by yard and in orchard deployments, so that any one location
was consistently stocked with the same hybrid.

But it is not so impossible - I survived, and converting (600 hives)
gradually was the only profitable way to do it.

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