Dear Debbie
 
 
> He ordered bees from two different suppliers.  The first set are very quiet.
> Several were dead when they were delivered.  But all appear to be healthy so
> far.  The second set had few dead ones and are extremely aggressive.  Is
> this normal?  Do bees have their own personalities?  The more aggressive
> ones are also extremely healthy.
 
It depends on the quality of the breed (and breeder) what kind of bees you get.
Aggressivity or gentleness have little to do with healthy to my opinion.
Although bees should bring in some honey this isn't the only thing you should be
looking for. Most beekeepers have bees as a hobby. They want to have fun and
don't want to get in conflicts with neighbours, so it is also important that the
bees are not aggressiv.
 
You should ask other beekeepers where you can get gentle honeybees. Surely there
are some breeders, that can send you the queens you wish. To my experience
gentle pure-breed honey-bees will probably become more aggressive within some
generations if you cannot control the mating of the queens. 100% control of the
mating is only possible by insemination or special mating stations.
 
I hope you'll have more luck next time.
 
Sincerely
 
 
Dr. Reimund Schuberth
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Beekeeper in Germany (Bavaria)
Queen Rearing of Carniolan Bees
Insemination Station
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