>...worried a bit about your plan of using the backwards hives to make
> increase. Now, if it's just queen trouble or slow building stock, no 
> matter. But if they had some kind of inapparent infection ...

The other concern is that these colonies may carry inferior drones and 
if  they  are yarded where new queens are mated, can lead to 
degradation of the resulting stock.  At least that is what we noticed 
when we did that.

Climate is a big factor up here.  Many have tried such techniques, and 
do well one year, but get KOed the next. 

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