Hi John & all There are many colony evaluation systems in use... A good place to start is http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/assessmentcriteria.html Followed up by a visit to http://homepage.tinet.ie/~eduard/ Which is the home of the Galtee Bee Breeding Group (GBBG) Best Regards & 73s... Dave Cushman, G8MZY Beekeeping & Bee Breeding Website... http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman