Survivor bees, and bees which display cold weather traits like you described is an ideal for your region. Beekeepers today have forgotten what it means to not buy queens from breeders. It used to be commonplace to trade with one another or buy a few to add to one's own stocks, but the majority of queen replacement occurred within the one's own operation, or local groups of cooperating apiaries.
Not sure how this is forgotten .
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Scot McPherson
McPherson Family Honey Farms
Davenport, Iowa USA
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