Hello
  I have seen changes in bee behavior over the last 20 years.So about 3
years ago I started to evaluate the queens that I was getting.I would try
to do at least 10 queens from one breeder. Below is a list of 10
things or behaviors that I was watching for..
 
                          QUEEN AND COLONY BEHAVIOR
 
     1. Colony "noise" or sent fanning within the hive.
     2. Queen loss.
     3. Was queen lost within three to five weeks after introduction?
     4. Are bees , moving slowly, or "runing" off the brood to the edges
of the frames.
     5. Bees paying little attention to the queen, the queen seen by
herself on the comb.
     6.Spotty brood patterns.
     7. Slightly bullet shaped worker brood cell caps.
     8. Very slow buildup.
     9. Bees do not cluster properly, in temperstures below 55 F.
     10. Bee temperment.  Mild____    .Aggressive______.
 
   I have found that some of the queen pheromones have beenless than what
is needed to control the hive.When I added 9-ODA to the hive on a piece
of cotton, the hive went back to normal behavior. I have done this well
over 100 times. I feel that we have a breeding problem in the USA.
  Many factors go into this problem.I have been looking at it from three
breeding areas. Califonia, Texas and down south. Not one area is better
than the other. I know some of my friends in California thought I was
picking on them.
  Has anyone noticed a queen problem with supersedure or bees making more
noise than normal.
  Thank You
 Roy