> Perhaps bees in the U.S. are so hybridised that talk of races is meaningless

Well, not just the US but most of the area where A. mellifera has been in introduced, or where bees have been imported from other regions. That's most of the world.

The original so-called races may have had sufficient isolation to become distinct, but that was a long time ago. I am not sure how you determine "racial purity." 

Is it by the absence of yellow coloration? Most bee races exhibit ranges of color, so that is not a very useful tool in most cases. Do you test the mitochondrial DNA? This hasn't been infallible, either. 

I suppose that you are referring to locally adapted bees with the characteristics you prefer. That is certainly valid but that would be referred to as a breed, or a strain, not a race.

PLB

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html