In a message dated 13/10/2007 00:57:23 GMT Standard Time, [log in to unmask]  
writes:

<<Dave,  I'm curious.  If ligustica is "destructive" in  your area, why 
hasn't  
natural selection weeded it  out?>>



Left to itself, it probably would. I've tried  keeping it in the past, and I 
found that the queens mated poorly in bad summers,  which would eliminate many 
of them over time. Another problem is uncertain  temper. I bought two nucs 
off a local commercial beek this year, to boost  stocks, and found that while 
one was OK, the other got decidedly nasty as the  hive built up. The real 
problem, I think, is that the commercial people tend to  go for either Italians or 
Carniolans.  

Regards,

Robert Brenchley,
Birmingham  UK




   

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