When I started beekeeping 40 years ago the boast was "My bees are yellower than yours!".  Imported US Italians were fashionable then.  I've never in my life paid for a bee and so always used and selected from local mongrels.  Then, about 20 years ago a friend (now the local Bee Inspector) offered me a New Zealand Italian queen, which I accepted.   They bred massively, filling 2 brood boxes and 3 supers and bearded at the entrance.  They were as gentle as flies

They reared a crop of queen cells with which I requeened many of my hives, using the NZ method.  Then winter drew near. The bees ate their heads off!  I did get a crop but not great.  The hives that I'd requeened all turned stroppy and it took me about 5 years to get their temper back to what it had been before.

Nowadays fashion has changed to "My bees are darker than yours!"  

Chris


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