This is false. Italian bees, which are brown to golden colored, are NOT tropical. They originated in the foothills of the Alps, in Lombardy. Two elderly gentlemen (not beekeepers themselves), now long gone, spoke to me of the 'black Italians' that were around in this part of England when they were young in the 1920s/30s. They remembered them especially for their fearsome tempers. Is it possible that: a) the temper arose from cross mating between imported Italians (Am Ligustica) and the native English bee (Am mellifera)? b) in those days imported Italians were black in they came from a higher altitude as Peter suggests, where a black body subjected to solar radiation would enjoy a longer working day than a paler bee? Chris -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---