Hi Bob & All

I am not sure whether this will help or merely muddy the waters, but I have
seen black colonies that morphed as Italians and yellow colonies that were a
high percentage AMM.

I also seem to remember Barry Sargeant saying that scuts exhibited wide
differences in colouration.

I would not use colour alone as an identifier for any bee species.

Best Regards & 73s... Dave Cushman, G8MZY
Beekeeping & Bee Breeding Website...
http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman