This message was originally submitted with the email address of a 
previous writer
quoted in plain text in an attribution line.
BEE-L LISTSERV hides emails from non-subscribers to protect members privacy
from 'bots.
Writers are requested to please omit attribution lines, at at minimum 
edit out any
email addresses or risk having their submission discarded without notice 
or comment.
--

(So, I realise that Bob, for example, ran both commercial Italians and
pure Russians as a trial, but I am sure it was not easy -- or something
one would chose to do in the long

I thought about running all Russians but dropped the idea.There seems to 
be a demand (shortage ?) Of pure Russian queens/ nucs and hives .

An opportunity for a niche market.
In my opinion the Russian bee will always be in less use than Italians 
&Carniolan bees.

I run at times a Italian/carnie cross we call stripers because of their 
unusual markings.

*In my opinion * todays commercial Italians contain carnie genetics.

I realize color means little but todays Italians are leather colored 
when decades ago most commercial Italians were very yellow in color.

Cauc bees were being pushed a few decades ago but few beekeepers use today.

Commercial beekeepers *for the most part* are requeening most if not all 
their hives yearly.
Most use cells.

The idea of using hard to introduce Russian mated queens priced higher 
than commercial queens flies in the face of methods I see used inthe 
south in spring.

On a list like Bee-l commercial talk draws criticism (seems to me at 
least) but many
commercial beekeepers feel:

If you are going to treat for mites why go to these expense and issues 
outlined recently keeping and maintaining Russian bees?

I understand why hobby &sideline  beekeepers love the Russian bee.

Bob

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html