> I buy Kona queens and they do fine.

I agree with Charles, the bees we are using should do well in cold or hot climates. Colonies can't be "acclimated" individually. The only acclimation that could occur would be if isolated populations developed in particular geographic regions, which would probably take many decades and a degree of isolation not found in the contiguous USA. The bees in the US are a mixture and keep getting mixed every year.

Italian and Carniolan bees come from the Alps and are used in European regions just as cold as NY State. On the other hand, Africanized bees are not expected to do well in cold winter areas, but it depends on the degree of hybridization. Bees can regulate temperatures within the cluster and prevent themselves from chilling below 45F. 

PLB

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