> ...and also hived six 9-pound packages.

Never heard of a nine pound package.  Is this a common size where you live?

I recall when I sent several hundred 2lb packages to Arizona from here one
October, our hives yielded eight pounds of bees on average and the customer, who
had shaken bees from a neighbour of ours first, thought that our hives were much
stronger than his.

Hmmm.  I'd almost forgotten about that experience.  It was a bit over ten years
ago.  Come to think of it, I wonder... maybe that's the origin of those strange
bees in Arizona...

allen

http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/dIARY/