Hi to All,
I think that there is some misunderstanding here about the UK and the AMM (British strain) and also about Italians, as generally understood in the UK.  The British are always talking about the weather and not without good reason.  It's very unreliable and usually cool, dark and damp and generally not very suitable for Italians.  AMM does much better under such conditions being longer lived, thriftier and able to work at low temperatures and because of it's mating strategy often remains purely mated in many areas.  When the sun does shine brightly the Italians can bring in a good crop of honey in the UK, but at other times they need an awful lot of feeding to maintain the enormous amount of brood that they are able to produce, they take one look at the overcast sky and get back into the warmth of the hive.  They are also susceptible to Acarapis woodi.  I spoke to UK beekeepers recently that had been using Italians  from Hawaii.  The results have been good in the past two years during hot summers - I wonder what will happen this summer if the sun is shy.  Comparing Montana to the UK is not a very good match.
Best regards
Roger White
In Cyprus - 340 days of sunshine annually.

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