I also worked with the africanized in Brazil and agree with what Danilo
told us in his message.
I would not say that it will be more productive than the european
races under cool climates, but they shure are in tropical and subtro-
pical Brazil.
I also have tryed to build colonies using six italian queens bought
here in the U.S.A. It was a disaster. I would need to keep furnishing
honey and brood combs for them even when all africanized colonies were
storing surplus honey.
I think that try to eliminate the africanized in the U.S. will be a
waste of time and money. I believe that it would be better to everyone
if the effort was concentrate in making a good public education program
and in engaging since now in a program of selection of more productive
and gentle strains.
I think it worth call the attention for the fact that the africanized
is not a homogeneous strain of bees. There is a lot of variation in the
colonies of any place you look at, at least in southeastern Brazil. The
most simple effort toward selection generally produce straordinary
effects.
I wish you can get used soon to the bees!
Fernando Silveira
at Kansas University