This was my first year with two hives in Warwick New York.  I would
like to add four hives next year, then four after that, etc. until we
end up with about 20 hives.  I currently have All Stars from B.Weaver
but am now considering what variety would be best for me.  I have not
had the pleasure of seeing my bees overwinter yet, but am doing my
best to give them a good shot.  The two hives did very well for me,
considering I did end up with 120 pounds of honey total from the two
hives.  I did need to replace one of the queens, as that hive was
extremely aggressive by mid summer.  My question is:  What would be
the best bee for my area?  Is the swarming tendency of the Carniolans
outweighed by the earlier foraging?  Is the large Italian population
outweighed by their trouble of overwintering?  Every time I read
about the pros and cons of these two varieties I come up with a
different conclusion.   Any comments and advice would be helpful.

Thanks,

Nick
Warwick, NY

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