"Disease resistance, honey production, pretty coloration; gains have been made here. But they evaporate quickly when the selective pressure is removed."


So the apparent takeaway from this and the "Contradictory conclusions" thread is that any breeding program does need to have a fairly sequestered mating area, wherein the drones/patrilines can be more tightly controlled. If not on the level of Dartmoor, then at the very least with the kind of regional "drone flooding" that Randy described.


For smaller operations or individuals, it would seem, then, that attempting to maintain desirable characteristics through splits or grafting is a fool's errand. Unless of course you artifically inseminate the resulting queens from desired drones. Or am I missing something?


S


Skillman, NJ

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