As this topic seems to become a long lasting one I want to add my mustard as well (as we in Germany would say). I keep a few colonies in the centre of Munich in the garden of the institute and about 20 in the country. I was surprised about the honey yield here in the city. It was mainly derived from aphids, probably because most of the trees in the city are week and have a lot these parasites. The hives in the city are always the first ones that bring in pollen, probably because the temperature in the city is higher and the bloom starts earlier. What I would be interested in is: how about mating flights in the city? I started the colonies in city with queen cells. Only 2 of 4 started egg laying. The next beekeeper in central Munich known to me is about 4 km away in a park. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Haberl Tel: ++49 89 5902-444 Zoologisches Institut der Uni Muenchen Fax: ++49 89 5902-450 Luisenstr. 14 80333 Muenchen, Germany E-mail: [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------