In a message dated 9/1/2006 10:40:12 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

What  part of Florida George?  Are you in the Africanized  zone?





No, I am not in an officially recognized Africanized area.   And  to my 
knowledge no AHB's are known to be in or around my area. But I expect that  is 
coming to me soon.
 
 I  suspect that these queens are fathered by a drone from a  feral hive that 
is carrying an old German dominate trait for black  color and possibly German 
aggressiveness too.
 
The progeny of the dark brown queens are not particularly defensive and are  
to my experience no more aggressive than usual. 
 
 I don't keep "hot" bees at all regardless of color! However,  I don't really 
care what color queens are as long as I can find them easily  and I can live 
with the workers.  
 
What I'm concerned with, is that these ladies  are more or less  Russian or 
some other strain that won't buildup fast enough in the spring for  the citrus 
bloom. If I was sure they were slow in building up I would not go  into the 
winter with them.   
 
Every three to four years I get new Italians (I think they work best  for me) 
and then I produce  my own queens for the next few years. I've  always open 
mated them and have noticed and occasional black worker and wondered  about it.
 
Superceding has been an ongoing phenomena for me this season so I keep up  
with who is laying and frequently find that I have unmarked queens and or  
queen-less hives showing up.
 
The few charcoal gray queens haven't started laying yet- sooo  I'll be 
watching for aggressive behaviors. Incidentally some of the dark queens  
half-sisters are as blond as they can be with very faint dark lines.
 
I'm located reasonably close to numerous successful commercial  beekeepers 
who are queen breeders.  Some of their yards (35  miles NW of Orlando) are 
within a 10 mile radius of my yard.  The one  I rely on most is traveling with his 
bees now and won't be back for a  couple of months yet, or I would have just 
popped over to him with my  question.     
 
George W
 
 


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