>PS. There aren't "races of bees" in most of the developed world, the bees are a mixture of pre-existing subspecies.
> Pete, you're really going out on limbs the past few days.  There is plenty of strong evidence otherwise.

Nice comment, Randy. You usually encourage thought provoking statements. My intention has been to challenge  the conventional wisdom. If my challenges provokes discussion then they have been worthwhile. As Allen likes to say, "if everybody is agreeing then nobody is thinking."

What evidence do you have of pure races existing in regions where conventional beekeeping predominates? Not to mention the dubious merit of racial purity when it comes to beekeeping. Leaving out for the moment, honey bee conservation, which is a separate issue. 

Brother Adam has been castigated for trying to develop a hybrid bee comprising different distinct types from other regions. Meanwhile, the demerits of pure line breeding have been elaborated. In Canada, the Buckfast hybrid is generally preferred over bees which have been bred for other criteria, such as color. 

PLB

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