> Tracy's question about wintering in different areas may miss the point that bees shift to diutinus physiology any time that pollen stops coming into the hive, such as in August in the dry areas of the West.

I was going to mention that. Assuming that honey bees evolved in a tropical climate, the imperative would be to be able to survive any sort of dearth. This could be drought, excess rain, or some form of winter. Such an adaptation could have enabled them to survive temperate winters, when they either expanded their range or the climate changed.

PLB

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