Hi all
The null hypothesis is that since all of these honey bee stocks have a common origin in Europe, that their performance well or poorly will correlate more strongly to other factors than their origin. 

So far as I know, nobody has shown that genetic adaptation can take place in the short time span these "local bees" have supposedly been localized. Selection by the beekeeper, on the other hand, can produce noticeable results. In order for local adaptation to be shown, the other factors would have to be ruled out.

The only study I have seen that has merit is: 

Büchler, R., & al. (2014). The influence of genetic origin and its interaction with environmental effects on the survival of Apis mellifera L. colonies in Europe. Journal of Apicultural Research, 53(2), 205-214

They state: 

> We can thus assume that together with its genetic origin, each strain also represents the development of queen rearing methods specific to that stock / subspecies / country. One specific factor which may have contributed to the higher survival of the local stocks is the adaptation of the apiary and colony management to the local strains, which may have provided them with an advantage. However, we have no way of measuring this.

See also:
Borst, P.L. (2019). Locally Adapted Honey Bees. ABJ April 2019.

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