Hi all
Discussions on bee breeding eventually get around to the subject of color, what does it signify, etc. Some relevant information:

Stort (1978) calculated correlations between all his measured components of defensive behavior and correlations between each measure and abdominal color. There was no correlation between behavioral components and abdomen color, which was a discrete trait controlled by one gene. -- Rinderer (1986) Bee Genetics and Breeding

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A knowledgeable bee breeder will be careful to be only as specific in his stock descriptions as good information permits. Unless scientific proof is developed to the contrary, physical characteristics such as color, size of bees, and shape of wings are poor choices. Generally, if such characteristics are important, they will be selected and improved automatically along with more general characteristics such as honey production or disease resistance.

Harbo, J. R., & Rinderer, T. E. (1980). Breeding and genetics of honey bees. 

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To date, most selective breeding in commercial apiculture focuses on traits such as honey production, color, gentleness, winter survival or other economic parameters. When combined with continual dilution of the gene pool through importation of susceptible stock, these selections limit host adaptation to pathogens.

Parker, et al (2012). Correlation of proteome-wide changes with social immunity behaviors provides insight into resistance to the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, in the honey bee (Apis mellifera). Genome biology, 13(9), R81.

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