"I've also heard that the hybrids can be hot, which
is worrisome, but I wonder how much that depends on what they cross 
with.

Anyone have any experience along those lines?"

Some years ago, I accepted the gift of a New Zealand Italian queen in 
order to 'improve' my stock of local mongrels.  They soon filled 2 
brood boxes and 3 supers and had a bee beard in front of the hive.  
They were as docile as flies.  They produced a crop of queen cells 
which I harvested to re-queen some of my other colonies of local 
mongrels.  They did produce a reasonable crop of honey but ate their 
heads off in the winter (that was back in the days when I fed bees).

The colonies that I requeened, having crossed with the local stock, 
became very bad tempered and it was about 5 years before I could 
restore the temperament of the bees to what it was before.

Chris





  

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