>>A.m.m..... Last year I started with 120 colonies, produced 5.5 tonnes of honey... Very nice. I visited my beekeeping uncle in Poland a few weeks ago. He keeps 100 colonies and gets 5 tonnes of honey in an average year. Do you practice migratory beekeeping? My uncle does. A stationary apiary in his area would produce a lot less. I noted his bees looked very dark but unlike the Carniolans we have in the US. He produces his own queens and only occasionally swaps a couple of queens with other beekeepers to raise drones with different genetics. His bees seemed a bit more defensive than mine although qucikly responded to smoke and run a little more on the frame. I wonder if his bees have A.m.m. genetics... The queens were typically very dark with occasional yellow spots along the bottom of the abdomen. >>What I also would like to know: is anyone keeping A.m.m. in the US?? Pass! From what I've hard, I think A.m.m. could do very well in the wet, cool Northwest of the US. Waldemar -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---